Whisper to Me
by Faery's Delight
Summary: When he had lost it all, he had never expected to regain it all back. But he had. And now he was back to fix what was broken.
1. Whisper to Me 1 Prologue

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: Prologue

Characters: Ichigo

Word count: 1,653

Warnings: Character death, blood

AN: I wish to welcome everyone to this lovely new fanfiction from me. :D I do have a few things that I need to go over before we get into the story though, so please read through this. Thank you.

1) Yes, this is a Kuroshitsuji/Bleach fanfiction.

2) No the final pairings do not include Sebastian/Ciel/Ichigo. Instead, it is William/Ichigo.

3) It is in the Bleach world with the original Kuroshitsuji world as the history.

4) **Any sex or sexual situations found within this story will not be posted on Fanfiction . Net. Please note this. Those chapters will be placed elsewhere.**

5) I will be posting on MONDAYS and FRIDAYS for this story. My mini's are posted on Wednesdays or the next posting day if I miss Wednesday for whatever reason.

6) **This story has been completely written.**

7) This is only Arc 1. Arc 2 is in the works.

I believe that's it. I will have warnings for each chapter mind you so yeah.

A big, big thank you to CutsyCat for betaing this monster of a story and to Affy-chan for daring to be so willing to read as I write, offering thoughts and ideas for this lovely story. Thank you both! You guys rock!

And to my readers: Reviews are lovely things, really. Even a "I like it" is welcomed even if I don't respond to them. Not a lot I can say beyond thank you. They inspire me to write more. :D

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When he walked up to the front door, a frown pulled at his lips at the sheer stillness that didn't feel right coming from his home. He had been away on a field trip to Tokyo and it had just ended that day, Ryuuken Ishida dropping him off before leaving to take Uryuu to his own apartment.

But something just didn't feel right.

It was too still, too quiet. His father should be making a fuss with the sweeter sound of his sisters add to the feeling of home. But there wasn't a single sound that filtered out into the late evening. And it put him on edge, wondering what was going on inside.

Swallowing, Ichigo fished out his keys and opened the front door, stepping inside. Looking down at his feet, he noted that his sisters school shoes were still next to the door, which was unusual considering that they tended to put them into the closet after a snack and dropping off their bags in their rooms. Licking his lips, he looked around, seeing the lights on in the kitchen.

"Hello?" he called, moving into the kitchen and looking around. On the counter were two plates and a bag of cookies. Picking one up, he noticed that they were still soft, so they had been pulled down earlier by one of the twins or their dad. "Hello? Karin? Yuzu? You guys here?" he called once more, leaving the kitchen and peeking into the living room.

No one there. He walked slowly up the stairs, idly remembering that he had left his suitcases outside and that he should probably bring them in. But something told him not to. Not yet at least. And he tended to trust his instincts. Even at the young age of 15, he had honed them to a fine point to deal with his father's antics and the idiots who tried to attack him via ambush or from behind.

"Where is everyone?" he muttered as he looked into his room, coming to a complete stop. The entire room had been ransacked. Clothes were strewn about on the floor, his mattress was shredded while drawers from his small closet dresser and desk had been ripped out and dumped, almost as if someone had been looking for something.

He wondered what it had been that they had been looking for and if they had found it or not.

Feeling a chill race down his spine, he turned and raced for the girl's room. He prayed that the scent that had been tickling his nose with familiarity wasn't what he thought it was. He came to a dead stop in the hallway, gagging at the sight of his father lying on the floor. There was a small pool of blood, probably coming from the exit wound of whatever had gone into Isshin Kurosaki's back, leaving him dead on the floor before the girl's bedroom. Carefully moving around his father's body, he peeked into the room and keened softly at the sight of his sisters with matching wounds, lying on the ground.

Yuzu still held a pretty little dress she had been about to change into in her hands, while Karin's soccer ball sat near her.

"Oh, God, Karin…Yuzu," he choked out before stumbling back out of the room, still careful as to where he was walking. Moving to his father's room, finding it only a little bit messed up, he swallowed and moved to the dresser. Glad at the least that he didn't have to deal with the drawers, he reached down and removed the flat bottom with careful ease. Staring at the multitude of papers, he pulled them all out along with a simple, black flip phone that they paid a small monthly fee to keep activated, only one number programmed into it that updated.

They rarely had to charge it seeing as it sat shut off for the most part. Just as his mother had done when she had been alive and had first told them that the phone was to be used if both of their parents were hurt or they had to run to somewhere safe.

Sliding the phone into his pocket, he ran downstairs with the papers in his hands, having replaced the false bottom of the dresser and grabbed the cordless phone. Stepping outside, gagging now that he could tell the difference of the air, he dialed for the police, breaking down on the line with the dispatcher. Several cars and ambulances arrived after only a few minutes, finding him sitting on the porch, clutching the phone and his suitcase, unable to stop the tears that dripped down his face slowly.

As the crime scene was gone over, a nice detective named Yusuke Urameshi took him to the police station and took his statement about what had happened in his private office. Once the statement had been taken, the slightly older man leant forward, fingers laced as he gazed at Ichigo, who had curled up into one corner, sitting in a state of slight shock.

"Is there anyone that I can call for you?" Yusuke asked lowly, Ichigo shaking his head, limp hair flopping back and forth over his forehead.

"No, no. I'll call them. I just need to leave a message for them and they should get back to me within a day," Ichigo husked, his voice raw from his crying.

"Alright. How about I set you up in a secure hotel for the time being then, huh? I'll also have someone watching over you for the time being," Yusuke stated, reaching out for his phone and calling for a room for Ichigo to be stocked with some easy food to make and some drinks. He prodded the other for clues as to what he drank. Once that was set up, he stood and smiled in understanding. "I'm going to go grab a simpler car for our trip. Do you need to clean your clothes while there?" he asked, Ichigo nodding.

"Yeah. I only packed enough for my trip and until my stuff is released…." Ichigo trailed off, getting an understanding look.

"Luckily, the room you're getting has a washer and dryer, along with a small kitchenette so you should be good for a few days. I'm going to want you to go into hiding, so depending on what the person you're calling says, I'll get that ball rolling," Yusuke told him, getting a nod as Ichigo pulled out the cell phone.

"Thank you, Urameshi-san," Ichigo hummed, getting a small smile and a nod from the other man.

"It's not a problem. I'll be back in 15," he promised before leaving, closing the door firmly behind him and heading to get a car. Ichigo sighed and flipped the phone open and turning it on. Once it had loaded, he found the one number in the phone and called it.

"Leave your name. We will know your number. Tell us how you got our number and who gave you the phone in your hand," a silky smooth voice stated after a single ring. "We will call you within 24 hours of you placing this call to tell you if we can help or not."

Taking a deep breath as he closed his eyes, Ichigo spoke. "My name is Ichigo Kurosaki. My mother, Masaki Kurosaki, gave me and my two sisters this phone just in case something happened to either of my parents. My mother died when I was six and I have just found my father and twin sisters dead in my home. I fear that whoever has killed my family will come after me. This probably has to do with my father's past…" he trailed off, thinking about the serious talk that he and his father had had after a massive fight between them. "I dare not go into it here and I don't know if you know who he once was, but…I need help. A Detective Yusuke Urameshi will be taking me to a hotel. I will be able to give you details where I am and what happened when you call back. Thank you."

With that said, he hung up and stuck it back in his pocket as Yusuke came back with a smile and a nod. "Come on, I have a car. It's waiting for us out back and one of the officers will be bringing over all of your clothes," he said, watching a slight blush and a worried expression flit across Ichigo's cheeks. "A, the officer is a woman and she is very professional and b, she won't tell anyone what kind of underwear you wear. Is there anything else you want out of your house?"

"Can she grab a box of art supplies? I noticed that they hadn't tipped it out of my closet when I looked in my room," Ichigo said, standing up and grabbing his suitcase as Yusuke nodded. As they walked out of the room, the detective texted the request and took him to a high security hotel on the outskirts of town, making sure that he would be comfortable once they were there.

Once his laundry had been put into the washer, a small meal eaten, and his phone put on a charger nearby the large bed, Ichigo gave into his grief once more and mourned his family, crying until he slept. No dreams haunted him as in Tokyo a butler checked the messages on a special line and cocked an eyebrow at a name that he had not heard in so long. It came from a young man that he remembered cooing at him when he had glared at the child for daring to pee on him.

"Interesting," the butler murmured before jotting down the needed information and closing the phone. "Master, there was a message from young Ichigo Kurosaki…"


	2. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 1

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 1

Characters: Ichigo, Ciel, Sebastian, Yusuke

Word count: 1,403

Warnings: None really

AN: OMG, the response for this story! Goodness. I want to thank everyone that was kind enough to review, read, kudo, and fav all over the place! Goodness. *shakes head and smiles* Just really, thank you.

I hope that you keep enjoying, reading, kudoing, reviewing, and faving!

Enjoy this chapter. :D

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The loud ringing of the phone drew Ichigo out of his sleep, making him furrow his brows and pout as he tried to bury his face into his pillow once more, intent on ignoring the line. But it kept ringing and ringing and ringing, finally prompting him to reach out and grab it, pulling it to him with a grunt. Flipping it open, he brought it to his ear.

"Yes?" he groaned, the word breaking and making him wince with how sore his throat felt. Unplugging the phone, he sat up on the bed before standing a bit unsteadily on his feet.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, my name is Ciel Phantomhive and I knew your mother. I am sorry to hear about her death and the murders of your family," Ciel said over the line. His was a different voice than Ichigo the one that had instructed him to leave a message.

"Thank you," Ichigo said, swallowing as he stumbled to the refrigerator, pulling it open and finding a water bottle. "It was…quite a shock to come home to **...** that's for sure."

"I'm sure it was. Ichigo, you know your father's history, correct? And your mother's too?" Ciel asked gently, the sound of rustling coming over the line as the teen pulled out a bottle of water and chugged half of it down.

"Yes, I know about their pasts," he finally stated, feeling uncomfortable about talking about Shinigami and Quincys. Especially so since he did not know if there were any bugs about the room to monitor them.

"Good. I believe I know who targeted your family, and you are right. They will come after you in time," Ciel stated, listening to Ichigo move around on the other side of the line.

Ichigo sighed softly and shoved his clothes into the dryer, noting that there were a few boxes nearby along with a box of art supplies that he had asked for. He wondered if there was anything else in the boxes beyond clothes and the art supplies. "So what do I do? The police want to hide me away, or at least try to. But if they're from my dad's past…"

"Then the police won't be of any help," Ciel confirmed, sighing as Ichigo winced and whined lowly. "We will help you. I am flying to Karakura now. I have a feeling I know where you are. What room are you in?" he asked.

"Penthouse," Ichigo said lowly, opening the boxes and finding a few photographs of his family staring back at him. "When will you get here?"

"In an hour. Eat some breakfast, take a shower, make sure your items are packed and that the detective over your case is coming," Ciel instructed.

"Alright. How will I know it's you?" Ichigo asked. Ciel chuckled lowly.

"I'll have a key," was the cryptic answer before the phone disconnected, making Ichigo stare at it for long moments and shaking his head with a frown.

"So odd," he muttered, moving to the hotel phone and picking it up, calling the number that Urameshi had left him,relaying the request to be there within the hour. Once that was done, he headed back into the bathroom, and took a long, hot shower, starting to feel a bit more human than before. Once he had dressed into clean clothes, yesterday's clothing getting shoved into his suitcase, he made a simple breakfast **.** **Eating his breakfast, his** mind wonder **ed** just what he was going to do, especially since he knew all about the way that Soul Society worked and feared them trying to come after him again.

Licking his lips as he finished his food, he stood and washed his dishes. He finished them as the elevator dinged outside of his door, making him curious if it was the detective from the day before. As he came out of the little kitchenette, he blinked in surprise when a man that could pass as a teenager walked into the room, along with a surprised looking Yusuke Urameshi and a tall, slim, dark haired man that looked as if he could be an old English butler.

"Detective," Ichigo greeted, bowing slightly before his eyes slid to the man who could pass as a teen. "You must be Phantomhive-san. Thank you for coming so quickly," he said, bowing a bit deeper.

"You're welcome. This is my partner and good friend, Sebastian Michealis. He also plays as my butler, so when we leave, do not be surprised if he acts as such," Ciel stated, pulling off his jacket and gloves, Ichigo taking the jacket and hanging it up on a hanger as Yusuke did the same with his own jacket.

"You didn't tell me that you knew these two," the detective grumped, Ichigo shrugging sheepishly.

"I didn't know them. My mother knew them though. She told me when I was younger to call the number on a phone should I ever need to and I'm glad that I did. The people after me, well they're a part of my father's past, something that I can't get into," Ichigo slowly admitted, Yusuke nodding his head with seriousness.

"I understand, don't worry about that. I take it you're going to take him with you, right?" Yusuke said, turning to Ciel and Sebastian, both of whom nodded. "Their bodies won't be released for a few more days yet, so you are welcome to stay in the penthouse if you need to."

"Thank you, Detective, but I think we need to get him to a safe house soon," Sebastian stated, getting a nod. "I will collect his items. Ciel?"

"I am taking Ichigo down to the car that is waiting for us. I suggest that you gather a hoodie to hide your rather distinctive hair color and your facial features," Ciel stated. Ichigo nodded and moved to grab his backpack and a hoodie, pausing to shove his dried clothes into the suitcase before following after Ciel. The other man pulled on his jacket and his gloves as they left the room. They moved quickly to the penthouse parking area that had a private exit that they could get to, and slid into the back seat, Yusuke talking quietly with his new guardian before leaving once more.

Sebastian was quick to follow after with the boxes and suitcase, stowing them away into the trunk before sliding into the front seat with a soft smile of understanding. The smile made Ichigo shift in place, flushing gently as he looked down at his hands, suddenly very shy.

"Ichigo, I take it you have all of your information along with your families permissions, including wills and the such," Ciel said, Ichigo nodding his head in agreement as he patted his backpack. "Good. I will deal with such matters if you are willing to trust me with them. This is to help keep you safe and whole before we leave for one of my home's that will protect you better than this one can. I will also need full permission to take over guardianship of you until you turn 18."

"I have those papers. They have a list of people and now that I think about it…" Ichigo drawled, digging around and finding those papers, reading over them with a tiny smile on his lips. "Yeah, you're top of the list should I call you. See? All you need to do is fill out the paperwork, have your lawyer notarize them and file them."

"Your father was well prepared. They did fear that this would happen someday, but they had hoped that you would be trained and able to protect yourself when it did happen," Ciel sighed, shaking his head with a frown, before gazing at the sadden looking teen. "You will be alright. Sebastian and I will be able to protect you well, just trust us to do so. We will also train you so you may find those who have wronged you if you so wish," he said, eyes flaring as Ichigo gazed at him.

"What are you two?" Ichigo asked softly as Ciel's blue eyes flashed red.

"Us?" Ciel asked, his smile curling into something deadly and sensual. "We are demons, Ichigo, and you have inherited a very special type of contract from your dear mother."


	3. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 2

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 2

Characters: Ciel, Sebastian, Ichigo

Word count: 1,932

Warnings: Talk of lost loved ones

AN: Yay! Another chapter! *throws confetti at everyone* Right, I hope you guys enjoy this. Really. I loved writing this story and I love seeing what you guys think of it. I really do. Hugs and snuggles all around!

Oh, something that I forgot to note. The chapters tend to be around 2K (usually landing between 1,500 and 2K actually). And I do mean that. Though some tend to be around 4K due to their sexual nature.

I go back to writing on things.

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Sitting in the room that had been given to him by his new guardians, Ichigo played with the picture frame, eyes staring out of a large window as he perched in a window seat. He had been moved to the Tokyo house nearly a week ago All they were doing was waiting for his family's bodies to be released and allowed to be buried.

Sighing, Ichigo ran his hand through his hair and looked out over the sprawling estate that sat on the very edge of the large city known as Tokyo. He knew that even if there wasn't much land between them and the rest of the world, it still felt as if they were the only ones in the world. He had been resting and mourning for the last day, thinking about what he was going to do with the new contract.

Ciel had explained to him that it would be fulfilled once Ichigo was on his feet, able to take care of himself and over the age of 18. After that, Ciel and Sebastian would come to check on him once a year for five years before that dropped to every couple of years for the rest of his life. All of that depended on how close they were at the time though.

During his time with them, he would be taught everything they could so he could succeed in life and be able to find happiness. But they would also help him fulfill the need to gain revenge on those who had killed his father and sisters, to find the truth.

He was going to find out just why his father and sisters had been killed the way they had been and he would make the ones who had done so pay. And pay dearly.

Sighing, he stood up and tugged his nightshirt down and walked over to his bed where he had laid out his mourning kimono. He would be taking a train to Karakura to collect his family's bodies and Ciel had told him to wear one due to the media coverage of his family's case. They would be wearing something a little less elaborate than he was, even though he was wondering just why he was wearing a woman's kimono before sighing softly.

He couldn't say that he wasn't looking forward to wearing the woman's style kimono, something that happened often in his mother's family and in his father's family from what he had been told by his father. Sighing and picking up the first layer of his mofuko, he stared at it and couldn't find it in himself to really be upset with the fact. He had liked softer clothing after all but had never dared to wear such things since he had already dealt with people jumping all over him about his hair color.

Sighing softly, he stripped off his nightshirt and started to dress, being very careful as to what he did with what. Finishing it with the obi, tabi and zori, he gazed at the mirror taking in his looks. He was pale in the kimono, his hair curling around his face in a soft way. Sebastian had come in earlier to get his spiky hair to behave. Moving over to the dresser that held his brush, pictures and other things that had come from the house, he picked up Yuzu's favorite hair barrette and stroked over it.

Looking up again, he clipped the small dragonfly into his hair, the wings glittering against the red of his hair. "I shall miss you guys so much," he breathed to the picture, eyes glistening with tears before he closed them. Taking a deep breath and calming himself, he leant down to pick up the book bag that he was taking with him to Karakura to keep himself busy on the train. Leaving the room, he padded down the stairs, coming to stop at the elegantly dressed men that were standing at the base of the stairs, leaning into each other and talking quietly.

He blushed lightly and cleared his throat, reluctant to break the intimate moment between them. Ciel glanced up and his lips twitched lightly at the sight of a blushing Ichigo. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, I am. We will be able to get the house packed up?" Ichigo asked, getting a nod.

"Yes, we will be able to. I have already hired someone to watch over the property until you're ready to come back to it and open it back up," Ciel said, offering his hand, Ichigo easily taking it. Sebastian's eyes glowed lightly at the barely peeking contract that rested on the young man's chest. He had forgone his usual place of Ichigo's eye at his request, instead he had placed it just under his collarbone and for the most part, it looked like the rest of his skin.

"Thank you, both of you. Really," Ichigo said, bowing to the two demons. The both smirked and bowed in return before leading him out to the limo, Ciel and Ichigo sliding into the back as Sebastian took the front, none of them trusting another to drive them to the private train that the two demons employed to get around Japan. On the road, Ichigo buried himself in a book, Ciel watching him with thoughtful eyes, his eyes catching the title 'MacBeth' on the cover and making him chuckle lightly.

He had known that Ichigo was one for the classical, mostly books and music, but he liked all sorts of things, enjoyed it all in varying degrees. Sebastian had actually been the one to buy the young man his first copy of "Winter's Tale", starting off a love affair with Shakespeare and his works. Ciel had also introduced classical composers to Ichigo, even though the young man probably didn't remember where he had learned of them.

Even from day one, Ciel and Sebastian had felt drawn to the vibrant young man, all the way from the bright reddish color his hair to the liquid chocolate of his eyes. They had known he was special, his power already there and just barely tickling their senses and growing slowly until his mother had died and they had been unable to get near him without drawing attention to them and to him again.

Now they were here to protect him and help him through the mourning of his father and sisters, to help him learn all he could before watching him fly high and show the world just why he was so damn desirable. Ciel smirked to himself and crossed his legs as they came to the private station, their train waiting for them as Ichigo looked up from his book.

"Soon we'll be there. Are you sure they can't find me?" Ichigo asked, worry threading through his voice.

"The contract mark hides you from them and keeps us connected to you, Ichigo, I promise," Ciel soothed as the limo was parked and Sebastian came to the door to let them out.

"You shall be perfectly safe, I promise," Sebastian said as he helped Ichigo step out of the limo, Ciel following him with a raised eyebrow. "Yes, I listened in on your conversation," he stated at the look.

"I'm not surprised, really, I'm not," Ciel snorted, making Ichigo chuckle lowly under his breath and shake his head in amusement. "Come along, let's get on the train. We have a bit of a ride, but not too bad of one," he continued as Sebastian gathered their bags and walked onto the train. Ichigo settled into one of the rather large couches, curling up with his legs tucked to his hips.

Sebastian followed after them and placed the bags into a cabinet, closing and locking the door before joining them in the chairs, Ciel offering Ichigo a bottle of iced coffee. Taking it, the younger male went back to reading his book, knowing that now that they had loaded that they would leave the station. It would take a bit of time but it would also allow Ichigo time to calm himself and find a center in order to deal with what would be happening very soon.

Once they had arrived in Karakura Town, they were driven by Sebastian to the police station to gather Ichigo's family. They had them sent to the funeral home of their choice, where everything was ready for their funeral. No one but the three of them knew the exact time of said funeral, just that it would be in the next three days and was paid for fully by Ciel. Any money that came from insurance and the such would go to pay for part of Ichigo's living expenses and his future college schooling.

Once the paperwork was done by Ciel, Ichigo staying quiet unless spoken to and mostly ignoring the detectives except Yusuke, they left the station, dodging around the press and not speaking to them. Ciel and Sebastian answered with very basic answers, not giving them anything but still giving them something. Ichigo was nearly plastered to Ciel's side, fingers clutching his sleeve and trying not to draw attention to himself.

Finally they were once more in the limo, Ichigo sighing and falling onto his side on the seat, eyes closed and dragonfly glittering in the light. Ciel reached out and gently stroked his fingers over the long neck, getting a happy sound of enjoyment as Ichigo slowly relaxed under his touches. It turned slightly sad as he realized just how much Ichigo looked like his mother. The soft hair and gentle eyes that were often hidden behind a glare reminded him so much of her, including the love that he held towards his family.

It was amazing to him just how much Ichigo had grown into such a loving young man, taking after his mother so much.

"This is going to hurt, to watch them go up in flames," Ichigo finally said, face turned into Ciel's thigh, eyes closed as his fingers curled in the others hakama.

"Yes, but you will at the least be putting that part of their death's to rest. We'll work on the other parts of it over the next couple of years," Ciel said, Ichigo looking up from his spot. "We'll train you, like I said and give you a stable home so you can continue to grow and learn. At least until you are ready and willing to deal with those that have killed your family."

"What happened to their souls?" Ichigo asked softly, almost terrified of the answer even as Ciel continued to pet his skin.

"You were all marked to fall under the Grim Reapers instead of the Shinigami, Ichigo. It would have taken a Shinigami nearly 3 hours to get there to deal with them. It took my friends two seconds after they died to go and get them to safety." Ciel gazed down at him with a saddened expression on his face. "I am sorry that they were unable to say goodbye to them before they were taken away," he said.

Ichigo smiled sadly and shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Ciel-san. I can understand needing to keep them safe, to get them away from those that would destroy their souls completely," he said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Ichigo," Ciel hummed as they traveled to their hotel, eyes glowing as Ichigo curled into his leg, trusting him not to hurt him. It made his plans for the future take on a decidedly more...sexual nature.


	4. Whisper to me 1 Pt 4

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 4

Characters: Ciel, Sebastian, Ichigo

Word count: 1,639

Warnings: some crossdressing

AN: Okay, so two postings this week. Enjoy it all.

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The first month after his family's death was the hardest for Ichigo, or so it felt. His heart ached, feeling as if he was pumping blood through a wound that would never heal, making him often rub at his chest before removing it hastily. The rubbing had tapered off in the last few days though, his hand not reaching for the spot over his heart as often as it used to do.

Ciel and Sebastian had moved him to England to start his life over, to live his life to the best of his ability while he was hiding, searching for a good school in the City of London while he dealt with a tutor to figure out where he was in comparison to the rest of the London students. They lived in Crawley, the Phantomhive Estate having been there since the Victorian age if not longer and still rather secluded.

Which meant that they could drive to London in a short time, especially with the way Sebastian tended to drive, and do what they needed to do.

He had spent the first week mostly locked away in his rooms, settling his new furniture into place, putting books and knickknacks on shelves and decorative wrought iron wall shelves that looked like spiraling staircases. He hung pictures of his family and friends from Japan, and in general, set up his bedroom to his satisfaction. He had tried to go for a simpler bed but had been told to buy one that appealed to his tastes along with the rest of the bedroom furniture.

He had gone for a nice blond wood set with a platform bed with a simple headboard and foot-board, drawers under it and the actual sleeping space enough to have three or four large bodies on it. A pair of low sitting side tables sat on either side of the bed, which sat in front of the large balcony window. Over the window dark green curtains covered it, lighter gauzy green ones under those. A dresser sat against one wall, the front curved, three larger drawers on the bottom while three smaller ones ran along the top. Pictures of his mother, his father and each of his sisters sat on top with his new hair brush set and jewelry box that came from his mother and her Quincy family.

His bathroom was done up in soft gray granite on the counters and around the bath, the rest of the tiles and paint were gray with thin streaks of a shade of black that mimicked the granite. The tub was deep and he loved lounging in it, taking advantage of the inbuilt candle sconces to create a comfortable atmosphere for him. The shower was big enough for two with a rainfall shower head, the water controls all automated, which he loved.

He had what Sebastian called a receiving room, done up in soft golds and tans with chocolate brown couch and chairs that surrounded a red wood glass top table. His computer desk was simple, being a long one that curved in the corner with his desktop sitting in the corner. He had plenty of room for his laptop and homework space to sprawl out his things that he needed to do if he so wished. He had a stereo system that was hooked up to a touch pad system along with the lights, air conditioner, bath and shower, and security locks.

All around he was being spoiled, and as much as he enjoyed it, he barely noticed most of the time, his thoughts on his family and what he was going to have to do over the next few years. He had also taken to exploring the mansion, starting with the large basement that had been refinished in the last year to create several storage areas for some things and a few wine cellars. There was also a door that he avoided for the fact that it sent chills up and down his back.

He had explored the first floor next, finding the study and library, often raiding the bookshelves for whatever book interested him for the day. He also discovered a love for the kitchen, cooking every few days. Though it was mostly things that could be frozen, or bakery things such like cakes, tarts and muffins. He also stared at the decorative touches that were around the first floor, taking in the slate floors and the crown molding that came from ages long before their day.

He had also explored the second floors various rooms, staying out of any that he knew not to get into, and had found several that had been turned into a kind of art gallery. They had all interconnected on one side of the house. There had been paintings of several people that he had been told were important to them in some way, his mother's painting sitting next to one of him and her. He had smiled and stared at the painting for several hours before he had continued to explore.

Today though, he had pulled on a pair of ratty old jeans and an old sweater that was loose and fell down off of one shoulder. Ciel was holed up in his office, working on some paperwork or another while Sebastian worked with the day servants on cleaning the house. He had found the way to get up to the attic and was intent on doing so, having been given a lantern that didn't burn with a flame but with a special light bulb. It turned out to be bright enough to light a good sized area, which made him happy. Especially since Sebastian had admitted that they didn't have any lights up there, the electricity not wired up there yet.

That was mostly because there were a lot of things up there and would need to be cleared out first to do so.

Heading up the stairs very carefully and with a ring full of keys, Ichigo hummed and stepped into the attic, his eyes taking in just how dark it was inside of the attic. Holding up the lantern, he flipped it on and blinked a few dozen times to clear the sudden spots, scowling heavily at the flare of light before him. Shaking his head, he headed for the very back of the attic, trekking through the thin areas that were created to get through the furniture, chests and trunks that were piled and taken well cared of. He could feel several wards humming, telling him that the two men would make sure everything there was kept safe.

Smiling as he found the area that he wanted, the very start of his guardian's lives together piled and placed in the very back of the attic. Setting the lantern on a covered dresser, Ichigo started to go through the furniture, stroking a hand over the well cared for and obviously loved items, eyes taking in the details and knowing that he would come back with his sketch pad to draw the beautiful furniture when the time came. He slid open the drawers, finding some filled with clothes from that time, carefully packed away and moth free. He moved onto the trunks, finding books that he made a note of asking Sebastian about, before opening an armoire that he had found.

He blinked several times at the rainbow of fabric that was exposed to him, his fingers twitching to touch. Biting his bottom lip, he reached out and stroked a hand over the softness. It felt as it if was brand new and a small rune glowed on the sleeves whenever he came near it.

He found a dress in various shades of blue with black lace accents. The front was split into what looked like a sewed on jacket that went down to about 3 inches from the end of the dress. Ruffles wrapped around the neck, down the front and around the back of the jacket like piece, a single piece of ruffled fabric crossing about an inch from the bottom of the jacket part. Black lace wrapped around the bottom. It was dark blue on lighter black, tying in the back and with short sleeves that tightened.

It drew him like a moth, making him bite at his bottom lip, he dragged himself away from the armoire to continue to hunt around in the attic, always finding himself drawn back to the dress. Sighing and looking around, feeling a little guilty even though he had been told he could do what he wished when he wanted as long as he didn't damage anything, he pulled the dress out.

Stripping out of his clothes, he pulled it on, blinking at how well it did fit him, and figured that it was one of the many dresses Ciel had worn during a mission at one time or another. The shoulders were a bit loose but that didn't mean anything outside of the fact that Ciel had probably been broader in shoulders and older than him when he had worn it. Licking his lips, he hummed and smiled at how good it felt before giggling and spinning around, eyes on the ground as he held the hem up.

He squeaked when he was swept up into Sebastian's arms and started to spin him around in the limited space that they were in, dancing around. Ichigo relaxed in the man's arms and giggling softly as he allowed the two demons to dance with him before he stopped, feeling tired and happy.

"We originally came up here to speak with you about schools and clothes, but now we have more to discuss, don't we, young Ichigo?" Ciel chuckled, tapping Ichigo on the nose and enjoying the way brown eyes went cross and a blush spread over his cheeks.


	5. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 5

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 5

Characters: Ciel, Sebastian, Ichigo

Word count: 1,347

Warnings: talks about things

AN: Yay another chapter! And early this time. :D Enjoy you guys. :P

* * *

Once Ichigo had changed out of the dress and the rest had been placed back, the three headed back down the stairs. Ciel had his arm resting around the young male's back and drawing him towards the study. Once they were in the comfortable room and sitting in a chair with a plate of still warm cookies close by, the youngest of them nibbling on one, the two demons smiled and started the conversation that they had been waiting to have.

"Ichigo, I wanted to ask you a few things," Ciel hummed as he picked up his own cookie and bit into it with a smile of pleasure on his lips.

"Oh?" Ichigo hummed, looking up through his lashes and playing with the cookie in his fingers.

"Yes. While you were hunting for new furniture and the such, we noticed that you stopped to look at a few things that weren't what you have been normally wearing. Or at least what you haven't worn in your photos sent to us by your mother," he said slowly, smiling soothingly at the worried look on Ichigo's face. "Calm down, we don't mind how you dress or what your preferences are. Here you'll only find an environment that will allow you to be yourself," he promised.

"I can dress like I wish and not have to worry about anything, is what you're saying," Ichigo said after a few minutes of gazing at Ciel and Sebastian, the two demons smiling lightly and nodding.

"Exactly." Sebastian sat down on the couch and crossed his legs as he continued to watch the young male. "We are here to help you find your way in the world and help you get revenge on those who have hurt you and yours in such a way."

"So you've told me before," Ichigo hummed, lips twitching up into a smile. "But you're already spending so much money on me with just the furniture alone. And you still plan on getting me a whole new wardrobe according to what you've said. As it is you've already replaced my nicer clothing with stuff that comes in boxes for each individual garment," he said, stuffing the rest of the cookie into his mouth to shut himself up.

"We promised to take care of you in all ways, and that does include making sure that you want for nothing and have a place to heal from your loss," Ciel said softly, moving to perch on the chair arm next to Ichigo. "So, when we go shopping should we be looking at feminine items, masculine items or a mix of both?" he asked, running his fingers through the soft hair that Ichigo had learned how to get to lay flat during their first month together. Sebastian had figured it out and taught their young charge much to his delight.

Ichigo hummed and bit his bottom lip in thought as he leant into the touch with a sigh. "Probably a mix of the two," he said, shrugging with a smile. "As much as I would enjoy wearing entirely feminine or entirely masculine, I believe that it will fit me to have a mix. It'll be nicer for me and it won't be so odd to see me in one or the other when it comes to times when I have to wear nice things," he continued, getting a nod and approving smiles from both of the demons.

"That's a good thought and we'll take you to a few places that will have what you need. We'll have to hit the various streets first, see if they have what we're looking for," Ciel hummed. He continued to play with a bit of soft fire colored hair.

"Streets?" Ichigo asked curiously, snagging another cookie from the tray and settling in to enjoy the sweetness of the macadamia nuts and white chocolate.

"Oxford street has several rather nice department stores for some of the basics, but Regent Street and Jermyn Street. Both of them have some mid-range stores but are very lovely places to go to. If anything, you can put that new camera that you bought to good use there," Sebastian teased, getting a soft blush.

"I like taking pictures and I always wanted the Nikon Coolpix L820. It's such a pretty camera and digital. I tested it for the school newspaper when I took a class in photography," Ichigo huffed. Ciel chuckled and stole a bit of one of his cookies with an amused look on his face.

"Bond Street and Mayfair will work for the higher end clothing that you will need, along with some good shoes. We'll also have to look at Westfield London since Debenhams, and Marks & Spencer is located there. I think you'll like where we take you for the clothing shopping," Ciel said before he stood up and smiled at Ichigo as the other watched him. "We'll make a full plan and make a four day weekend out of it. Sebastian, later can you make reservations for our usual room at the hotel?" he asked.

"Of course, Ciel," Sebastian hummed. Ichigo was still not quite used to hearing the way the two went back and forth between Master and Servant, and lovers depending on the situation and who was around them. "Shall I make sure that the van is set up for the trip?" he asked.

"Yes, please. I believe that it will do us good to have all that room. And make sure the cooler is set up too," Ciel hummed, sitting down on the couch next to his mate and crossing his legs.

"I will do so," Sebastian hummed, making a note of that as he finished off his tea and placed the cup to the side with a smile. "For now, we should discuss the schooling options. We noticed that you were into art and photography and have a school that I thought that you might like if you wanted to take a look at what it offers," he said. He offered the pamphlet to the International School of Creative Arts to Ichigo, along with the classes offered and the tests needed to place him correctly.

Ichigo nibbled on his bottom lip as he went over the information, eyes shining at the wealth of classes that would allow him to go to college and get a degree in something that was filled with art in some way. "I think I might like this school. Can we visit and set up a time for the tests?" he asked, looking up as he tapped his finger against the pamphlet.

"Of course. I'll call the school later today so we can set that up for you," Sebastian promised, smiling softly at him. Ichigo beamed brightly before looking over the mock tests that showed him what to expect when it comes to the tests to take. Most of it he knew what was all about it, which was nice for him. Some he would have to brush up on granted, but it wouldn't be too hard for him.

"I think I will like going to this school. And it looks like a lot of the things on these tests are ones that I've already gone over in Japan," Ichigo hummed, Ciel nodding his head.

"We received your transcripts, including copies of homework, tests and the such. You are ahead in some subjects and in others you are right on time for England," Sebastian, stated, smiling lightly. "We'll catch you up on a few things that you need during the next few weeks before school starts and start your other training too. Get you used to such a schedule."

Ichigo smiled softly and nodded his head, looking down at his lap as his fingers played with a white chocolate chip. He looked up with a soft look. "Thank you, both, really," he breathed.

"You're welcome, Ichigo. It is a pleasure to help you," Ciel said in return, getting a beaming smile as the two men started to plan on how best to protect the young man before them. It seemed that they would need to get a hold of friends to help them in doing so. It was going to be an eventful time for the next few years.


	6. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 6

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 6

Characters: Ichigo, Ciel, Sebastian

Word count: 1,358

Warnings: Nothing

AN: Mostly a filler chapter but it's still helping the plot move forward. Which is what is needed. :D

* * *

Staring at the rather large building that was really gorgeous looking, Ichigo blinked a few times as the car came to a stop before the front of it. Sebastian smiled at him in the rear-view window and slipped out, coming around to his side. "Come on, Ichigo, we have much to do in only a few hours," he chuckled, helping Ichigo slide out of the car.

"Right," Ichigo hummed. Ciel followed him with a briefcase in hand with all of their charge's information, including copies of his schooling transcripts and recommendations from his old school teachers. "It's big."

"Luckily you will not have to worry about staying here. You will have access to the smaller home that we have nearby if you need to be here rather late or really early, but otherwise you'll be able to stay at home," Ciel mused, smiling at the younger male, placing a hand on the base of his back and leading the other into the building.

They were greeted by the headmistress of the school and shown around the grounds, the woman telling them the rather interesting history of the school. Ichigo found that he liked the common rooms and the cafeteria, all of it bright and full of color and light. It pulled a slight smile to his lips as they moved to the pool area. He had to admit that he preferred the pool at the mansion, the chlorine smell making his nose wrinkle in distaste.

The grounds were well kept and gorgeous, offering many places to rest and find a comfortable place to study if one wished, or to play games outside. He ruffled his hair as they walked back through the various classes that were in, noting that the wide range of art styles were rather nice. They went to the testing rooms at the end of the tour and Ciel sat down with the headmistress to go over the admission forms that they had faxed over. They had been filled out before being sent over with the transcripts that they had, along with the ones that Ciel carried himself.

Ichigo pulled out his small book from where he had shoved it into Ciel's briefcase and read, occasionally inputting something or another on what they were talking about but mostly reading. After a time, he was taken into a room and sat down at a computer. The headmistress told him how to take the tests and left him to do so in peace. Stretching, he hummed and pulled the scrap paper and pen that he could use to figure things out if needed and started.

The two demons patiently waited out in the waiting room even as the first set of classes let out for lunch, some of the students gazing at the two men in interest before moving on. It wasn't odd to see people sitting in the waiting room, most of them parents that were there for whatever reason. Ciel was shifting through a few papers, Sebastian leaning over his shoulder as they quietly discussed whatever it was that they were going over.

The words "candy" and "cakes" were often used as Ichigo went through the tests, finding quite a bit of it easy to him, having studied it before he even came to England. He took a half hour break to go outside to eat lunch from the cooler that Sebastian had packed for them before going back to taking his tests. Once it was done, the headmistress promised them that they would get the results on Sunday, if not Monday, agreeing to sending the results to their hotel room when she had them.

Leaving the school, he smiled softly at Ciel and tilted his head. "I rather like it. I hope that I'm good enough to get in," Ichigo hummed, settling back as his older companions chuckled softly.

"I'm sure that you did fine, Ichigo," Sebastian said, Ciel handing over a bottle of water to Ichigo before gathering his own, the two opening the bottles. "You are amazingly bright and you might be ahead of some of your peers."

Ichigo made a sound of agreement and looked out the window in thoughtful silence. "Maybe," he mused before reaching down to grab his backpack that he had shoved under the seat after arriving to the school and pulling out his sketch book. Flipping it open, he dug through the pockets before finding the pencil he wanted and settled back. Sliding his shoes off, he perched one foot on the middle consul and tucked the other under his thigh before balancing his sketch book on his thigh.

As they drove, Ichigo sketched out the impressive school that they had just left, adding details to it at Ciel's prompting, getting ready mentally to deal with the three days of straight out shopping to create a proper wardrobe. He hated shopping but it was needed and he knew it. To be the part of an orphan with a rich guardian, he had to look and act the part, and part of getting ready to do that was to dress properly.

When they pulled up to the front of the hotel, he had moved onto slowly shading the drawing, having sharpened his pencil down to half its original length. Ichigo hummed and stuck the pad and pencil into the bag and slung it over his shoulder as Sebastian came around and opened their door, allowing them to slide out of the car. Following after Ciel, he took in the understated elegance of the front lobby, various people mingling with smartly dressed bellhops and elegantly dressed employees as they went about their day. He slipped an arm through Ciel's to keep a hold of him and to stay close to him, worried about losing the older male without Sebastian there.

He looked over his shoulder and could see through the glass front doors that Sebastian was having their items placed onto a baggage holder by a bellhop even as they stepped up to the counter. Ichigo looked to the man standing there, raising an eyebrow at the disapproving look he was getting, scowling heavily at the man.

"I'm here to check in with my charge and butler. Phantomhive, penthouse," Ciel stated, pulling out his wallet and laying a card down with a dry look to the man. The clerk blinked several times before nodding quickly.

"Of course, Mr. Phantomhive, of course," he said, Ichigo hiding his smirk in Ciel's shoulder before pulling away.

"Phantomhive-san, is Michaelis-san coming soon?" he asked sweetly, Ciel looking down at him with an indulgent smile on his face, knowing what Ichigo was doing. He had known the fact that the young male had this habit of poking at those who looked down at him and doing that was acting like a proper Japanese boy.

It amused the two demons to no end, having seen it in the works on their private jet to the stewardess.

"He shall, in a moment, Ichigo," Ciel chuckled, patting the others hand and smiling as he took his credit card and the key to their room, leading the way to the elevators. Sebastian arrived at their side along with the bellhop, the clerk watching, eyes wide, after them.

Once in the penthouse and in his room, Ichigo found himself looking out over the city as the sun set. The lights that spread out before him made him smile at how beautiful London City really was from the height he was at. Leaving his balcony and finding his camera, he came back out and started to take pictures. He was amazed by the way the scene before him changed with every minute that passed. He was breathless with a real pleasure that he hadn't felt so richly since his mother's death and not since he had lost his family.

He filled two memory cards before moving to get ready for an early dinner in with his two guardians and an early night. They had much shopping to do in the next three days and he would need all the rest he could get.


	7. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 7

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 7

Characters: Elizabeth the Second (Lizzy), Sebastian, Ichigo

Word count: 1,641

Warnings: None

AN: I hope you guys are happy that I posted this. I'm exhausted, I really am. *sighs* I had to go get ideas for sizes and the such.

* * *

The first day at his new school was much like Ichigo thought it would be: long, dry and rather boring at times while at other's it was fun and filled with interesting new things to learn. He had placed his basic classes, such as English, History and Math, into the first slots of his day while his Art History, beginning Pottery class and study hall had taken up the last three slots of his day. He had enjoyed all of his classes, but had found himself alone for the most part. That was, outside of the guide that the headmistress had given him that morning.

Lunch had been half way through his day after Math class and the options that he had been presented had been rather nice, if not a part of his normal tastes. He made a note to bring bentos from home from now on. Healthy foods of varying degrees were all well and good but he wasn't one for English or American style cuisine all the time. He liked the food of his home land and often missed his sister's dango or onigiri.

He wasn't very surprised by the fact that his fellow students weren't really warm to him seeing as they didn't know where he landed on the scale of things. He didn't look like he was there on a scholarship, like most of the students that were nicely dressed but in non-name brand clothes. But he also didn't look like one who had a backer or was rich himself. Especially since most of the rich kids had this thing for wearing whatever was the most expensive and in style at the moment. He had chosen to go for comfort and what looked good on him during his shopping trip, having ignored price tags after the first time he had tried to walk away from something he had liked and had been bought anyway.

The first day of school he had worn a long, loose sweater that had brushed against his mid thigh with three fourth's sleeves in a dark blue color. He had worn boot cut jeans under it along with a pair of simple ankle boots that had been found in a shop that he had fallen in love with. His bag was the same satchel as what he had used in Japan and was more than broken in, but he loved the damn thing since it carried everything he needed, including his sketch book and pencils.

Looking to his watch as he gathered the last of his items from the locker he was assigned, Ichigo smiled as he stroked the face of the delicate watch. He knew that it was sending out a signal to a computer that was always near Ciel or Sebastian. They had bought the delicate gold watch when they had happened across it. The band was simple, just gold links with the kanji of his father's and sister's names on three of the links, and had been lengthened, but it was still slim, perfect for his wrist and the almost delicate qualities to them.

Sebastian had taken it into the room that he shared with Ciel in the penthouse after they had bought it and Ichigo had mused that he wanted to see about engraving his family's names into some of the links. He had come out a few hours later with the names engraved and a tracking device tucked into it. Several items that Ichigo had bought, including a wind up pocket watch and several pieces of jewelry that could be used, had tracking devices in it. The two demons didn't trust anyone not to try to snatch him. Especially if the ones who had killed his family found him.

He had to smile at just how protective the two were even though they hadn't seen him since he was very young and couldn't really remember them.

Closing the locker door after shoving his new text books into his satchel, he wrinkled his nose at the thought of walking outside and not having to change shoes, making him shake his head. He was just glad that he had gotten several pairs of what he had dubbed house shoes that were comfortable and easily slipped on. His guardians had set up the small closet that was by the front door for his slip-ons so he didn't have to worry about them.

Stepping outside, he walked over to a bench, noting that several of his fellow students were wandering around in the mid-afternoon sun and enjoying the warm weather as he took a seat on said bench. He gazed around as several people watched him, all of them sitting in various groups and wondering about him, some not so quietly. He shook his head as he pulled out a small book, opening to his current page and tucking the bookmark further into the book, ears picking up the occasional conversation.

"...from Japan."

"No one knows a damn thing about him..."

"Really quiet..."

"...sure about him being Japanese? Look at that hair..."

Rolling his eyes, he looked up from his book as Sebastian pulled up in one of the few cars that wasn't made to be flashy. It still screamed extreme wealth since it was a Rolls Royce, customized of course to Ciel's specifications. But it was still rather understated compared to the completely tricked out van, Porches and other luxury cars that the two demons had collected over the years. They even had a rather nice and very big Cadillac from the early 80's that was Sebastian's personal toy.

Ichigo had to do a lot of begging to get the older demon not to drive him to school in that particular car seeing as it was rather large and had been refitted with new seats and extras. Sebastian had pouted at not being able to get away with driving him in it, not that the demon would admit to it, but had relented and instead had driven him in the rather understated Roll's Royce instead.

Putting his bookmark into place, he tucked it back into his satchel and stood up, heading for the car as Sebastian came around to the side, smiling at him. He could feel the shocked stares that swung between him and his demonic guardian as he walked up and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Back or front, Master Ichigo?" Sebastian asked, Ichigo rolling his eyes with a smile.

"Back. I want at the DVD player while we're going home. I have a DVD for Art History class to watch and write a report on," Ichigo said, waiting for Sebastian to open the door before sliding in. The door was still open when a squeal sounded and made him wince in pain at just how loud it was.

"Mr. Sebastian! I didn't know that you and Mr. Ciel had sponsored someone!" a sweet voice sounded as a young woman wearing a beautiful, if not simple, sari rushed up to them.

"Ah, Miss. Liz, a pleasure to see you again. And we're not sponsoring him so much as we are his current guardians," Sebastian stated as Ichigo took in the rather cute looking teen standing before them. She had, surprisingly enough, rich honey colored hair that one wouldn't expect to see naturally on one with such richly colored skin, blue eyes sparkling at him in return.

"Oh, I heard about you from mother. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Elizabeth Midford-Kadar the second, named after my Victorian ancestor, Elizabeth Midford who married Soma Asman Kadar, an Indian Prince," Elizabeth chirped, smiling brightly as Ichigo blinked at her, eyebrows rising.

"I heard about her. There are two lines of your family right? Ones from Agni-san and one from Soma-san," Ichigo said softly, Elizabeth nodding her head, blond hair bouncing in her excitement.

"You are correct. She fell in love with both and refused to choose both. Luckily for her, she didn't have to and could have both of them. I'm from the Soma line myself though I have several cousins my age who are from the Agni line too," she chirped. The family tales were well known, one of her family members back in the early 90's having done a book on the 'Famous and Tragic Love Story of a Victorian Beauty and her Indian Loves'.

Ichigo had read the book before tossing it at Sebastian's head for daring to give him such a sugary-sweet romance story, especially since the two men had told him the real story before hand.

"It is a delight to see you, Miss. Liz, but I must take Ichigo home right now. Do come by with your parents this weekend for lunch and tea. I'm sure Ichigo will enjoy your company," Sebastian suggested, Ichigo and Elizabeth sharing a look before nodding their heads.

"That sounds delightful," Elizabeth chirped before heading off to her own ride with a bounce in her step.

"I think I want to cook this weekend. Pull out mother's recipe book and make some of them," Ichigo mused as they pulled away from the school and he put the DVD into the player to start watching it.

"I will make sure that you have everything for it," Sebastian promised, drawing a smile from the young man. The demon found a worry easing, knowing that the young Elizabeth, so much like the first Elizabeth, would never leave Ichigo alone and would make him into her friend no matter how much trouble it would take. It would be good for the young man to have a friend close by instead of only having a friend long distant in Japan, no matter how much they video called each other or wrote.

It would calm Ciel's worries too.


	8. Whisper to Me 1 pt 8

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 8

Characters: Ichigo, Undertaker, Grell, William, Sebastian, Ciel

Word count: 1,580

Warnings: Relationship forewarning, talk of loss

AN: And we introduce more of the needed characters. *cackles cutely*

Okay now that I've gotten that down, I'm exhausted. I slept through most of yesterday but that's kind of normal when I'm feeling like a limp noddle. And I'm feeling like a limp noodle.

That does not mean that I don't appreciate every review, comment, reblog/share, bookmark, read, kudos, and watch. I do! I love seeing them pop up in my inbox randomly. It makes my day.

Thank you everyone! *hugs*

Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

The first time Ichigo met William, Grell and Undertaker was nearly two months after he had started school. He would have met them sooner if not for the fact that he had been out taking pictures of the grounds for a school project that was for the entire school. The project stated that each student was to create a collection of various artistic works in the different forms that they could do.

Ichigo had chosen photography, paints, pottery and fashion, with his focus being on the Victorian ages in reference to his guardians, who were also helping him by letting him at their things from that time period. So far, he had several pictures of Sebastian in his original butler's uniform and several of Ciel in a few of his suits and dresses. He also had photos of the grounds, which hadn't changed much since the Victorian Era.

He also already had his paintings planned out, wanting to use several of the pictures he had taken as his subjects, doing it in the style of the Victorian ages. Ciel had allowed him to move the paintings from that time to what they had dubbed his "art room", which was just a room with giant windows that allowed quite a bit of sunlight into the room. He was currently studying the painting of Ciel's mother and father and the way it had been done, being very careful not to ruin it even with all of the spells that kept it looking new. He also had the one of Agni, Elizabeth and Soma together, and one of Ciel and Sebastian.

But on the day that he met the three Grim Reapers, he had been shifting things around in a small attached garage that Sebastian had turned into a pottery room for him. He had done it one night after Ichigo had muttered about too much light for his clay in his art room and possibly moving the clay to another storage area. Leaving the garage to go back to his art room, pushing a wheeled cart so he could haul his clay blocks along with the works in progress, he had walked right by the front door the moment that someone had rang the doorbell.

Jumping in surprise, not having expected the bell to ring since Ciel and Sebastian had left for something or another to do with someone named Alois and Claude. Walking over to the door, he peeked out of the curtains, finding three people standing there, two of them looking rather bored while the third, a red headed man with teeth like a shark's, bounced like a child. He could feel their power, just a small tickle on the edge of his senses, and figured that they were the three Grim Reapers that his guardians knew. Letting the curtain fall back into place, he opened the door just in time to catch the tail end of the red head's babble.

"...and see my Sebby-chan! Oh, it has been so very long since I have seen him," Grell cooed, eyes widening as the door was opened by the rather lean Ichigo, who blinked at him in surprise.

"Sebastian-san isn't here," Ichigo said, blinking a few times as he tilted his head to the side. "Or Ciel-san. They went to a meeting with someone nearby but should be back soon..."

"Ah, who are you?" Undertaker asked, tilting his head. His long hair had been pulled back out of his face, at least most of it. Half of his bangs still fell over one side of his face and most of the scar, glasses glinting as he took in the young male before him. He noted that the shirt the young man wore seemed rather baggy and old, covered in streaks of paint and dust.

"Ah, Kurosaki, Ichigo," Ichigo said, bowing to the two men. He blushed slightly at having been so rude, but the three men before him had surprised him. When Ciel and Sebastian had told him about the three Grim Reapers, they had described them as insane or so stiff it was as if they were sitting on sticks.

But the men before him looked nothing like that. Ichigo's eyes slid to the still madly grinning Grell, eyebrow raising, and noting that maybe one did. The other two, beyond the taste of power and strength that lingered on them, looked like everyday men in their well tailored suits that probably cost a pretty penny.

"You must be the Grim Reapers that they told me about. Please, come in. I'm sure that Ciel-san and Sebastian-san will be back soon," he said finally, stepping back, opening the door so that the three could step in. Grell was the first to walk in, nearly skipping as he pulled off his gloves and red trench coat that Ichigo had a feeling was a replica of the original from Ciel's tale of his beloved Aunt.

"So they have told you about us?" William asked as he ran his eyes over the lean body, focusing on the mark that faintly glowed with power barely covered by the shirt that he was wearing. "You have a mark..."

"Ah...yes, I do," Ichigo said, hand coming up to feel the warm mark with a slight smile. "My mother helped them once and they gave her a special mark, one of that of friend," he continued as Undertaker and William walked in, allowing him to close the door.

"Your mother was Masaki?" Grell asked, whipping around with a surprised look on his face, getting a smile from the young teenager. He had heard of the beautiful woman from Sebastian and had actually met her once just after she had had her first child. "You're her baby boy!"

"Yes, she was. And yes, I am," Ichigo hummed, leading the way to the kitchen, feeling that Ciel would be upset if he left the three in his study. "I'll make some tea for while you wait," he said, pushing his cart into a corner and heading into the kitchen as Undertaker, William and Grell sat down at the dining room table.

"I wonder what happened," Undertaker mused once the teen was out of hearing range. "We've only been gone for a few months on that last mission, but are we really that behind on things?" he asked.

"I have a feeling that's what Sebastian and Ciel asked us to come discuss today," William replied, eyes narrowing behind his glasses. "He has the air of a mourner around him," he stated.

Grell made a soft sound of displeasure at the thought, knowing that those who were mourning tended to bring the feeling in a room down. "This is not going to be making me happy," he complained as the sound of china being set on a tray reached their ears. "I hate being around mourners. They're always so...dull."

"I don't think young Kurosaki shall be sad," Undertaker chuckled, Grell narrowing his eyes at the other man, wondering what the guy knew. "Just because he's mourning doesn't mean he doesn't know how to have fun. He is quite smart, from what I've heard from Sebastian after they got their reports on his family."

"You make me wonder about what goes on in that mind of yours, my dear Undertaker," Grell snorted before going stiff as a thought came to him. "Do you think he's the fourth member of that emergency in Japan that you had to go to?" he asked, hissing this to Undertaker.

"His hair is slightly longer and he's dressing quite a bit more feminine, but yes, he is the fourth member of the family. I was wondering when you would get that, my dear Grell," Undertaker chuckled, leering at the red head as he tapped black painted nails on the table.

"Tea?" Ichigo asked, coming up behind Grell and watching as the Grim Reaper screeched loudly and flew over the table to land in Undertakers lap. William smirked as his silver haired friend laughed loudly and patted Grell's head. "Are you alright?" the young teen asked, putting the tray down as his fellow red head worked to gather his breath, eyes wide and hand clenching at his heart.

"Gah, you are way too silent," Grell groused, getting an amused smile from Ichigo as Ciel and Sebastian walked in, eyes gleaming.

"We keep telling him that and yet, he keeps refusing to wear a cat bell," Sebastian teased, Ichigo huffing as he poured the tea and served it.

"If you're done teasing me, I need to continue to move my pottery supplies to the garage," Ichigo drawled,.. William watched the sleek way he moved, eyes drawn down to the hips that seemed to sway side to side in a hypnotizing way. Sebastian smirked, Ciel sipping his tea with amusement shining in his eyes as the two shared a look and noted that their future plans for the dear Ichigo would have to be changed.

It seemed that William would be the one to introduce their dear Ichigo to the sexual side of relationships. At least if the interest that was sparking in his eyes was indeed sexual.

"Grell, remove yourself from Undertaker's lap. We have much to discuss," Ciel stated as he sat down fully and placed his tea cup before him, Ichigo disappearing out of the dining room with his cart.


	9. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 9

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 9

Characters: Ichigo, Grell, Sebastian, Ciel

Word count: 1,355

Warnings: none, just Grell being Grell

AN: I know, I know, it's late today. It's currently almost 10 at night here but I have reasons and some of those reasons include pain, pain killers, Lactaid Ice cream, and a friend packing up to head to antoher friends. *nods*

So please enjoy this lovely little bit of chapterdom. I'm going back to writing.

* * *

"Why am I going with you?" Ichigo asked as he found his personal robe that Grell had bought him for the hell of it. It had been nearly six months since he had first met and surprised Grell and the other two Grim Reapers and ten since he had lost his family. He had moved past his mourning of his family but still very much wanted to find out who had killed them and get rid of them. Or help whatever world had ordered them dead to learn the consequences of their mistakes.

Grell just smirked and played with a lock of bright red hair, enjoying the way the other red head's hair was starting to brush against his shoulder blades. "Because it's fun, that's why," he stated as Ichigo huffed and tucked the royal blue robe that looked more like a single layer kimono on the young teen then a robe into a bag. "And Elizabeth is coming with too."

"How is it you know her again?" Ichigo drawled, adding a towel, pencils and a sketch pad to his bag along with his music player.

"I knew the first Elizabeth, you cheeky brat. The three of us have kept tabs on their family, waiting for the knowledge and power that is a part of that family to pop up again. It just happened to pop up in our dear Liz," Grell stated, crossing his legs and leaning his head on one hand. Ichigo looking to him with a carefully shaped eyebrow, the shape courtesy of a huffy Grell

A lot had changed in the last 10 months, and Grell found that he loved it. Ichigo was slightly tanned, lighter than before, the young male telling them he had his mother's coloring but tended to tan with how much time he spent in the sun. His skin was healthy and glowing, along with his hair, which had grown down far enough to reach his shoulder blades and probably would continue to grow over the years to come if he wanted it to. His body was lithe, instead of bigger like they had originally thought would happen, but they figured it was because of his training that he had taken on.

He had added swimming, fencing and kendo to his daily schedule, taking to all three like a duck to water. Ciel and Sebastian had loved the fact that he had, even going so far as to put a new lap pool next to the main pool.

All around, Ichigo was happy and healthy. Grell had a rather deep appreciation of that fact, William more so while Undertaker had enjoyed leering. He also enjoyed reminding the two men that while Ichigo was a Japanese citizen, he was also an English citizen and thus was jailbait all around. It put a bit of a damper on the two but didn't stop them from having their own fantasies. William more so than Grell since the red head was enjoying a bit of time with their leering mentor for the time being.

"I have everything," Ichigo finally said. Grabbing his backpack he made one last check to make sure that he did, sliding his phone into the front pocket of his jeans along with a slim wallet that held money and cards for him just in case.

"Wonderful. Let's grab the keys from Sebby's and we'll head off," Grell chirped, bouncing up off the couch and heading out of Ichigo's room with a swirl of red duster.

Ichigo snorted as he followed after. "You do realize that he's probably going to gut you one day for calling him Sebby, right?" he teasingly asked, Grell pulling a mock face of horror as his hand pressed against his chest.

"He would not," he sniffed, his nose rising in the air as Ichigo just smirked at him. "He loves me too much to kill me." The sound of a pair of scissors right behind him made him shriek and run to hide behind Ichigo, frantically patting at his hair and making sure it was still the same. "Sebby! That wasn't nice...are those my old scissors?" he asked, blinking at the little set in the butler's hands.

"I believe they're one set that you lost during one of our many fights together," Sebastian chuckled, shrugging and tucking them into one pocket. "They come in handy when I must handle an after image of a person."

"You knew he was there behind me, didn't you?" Grell accused Ichigo, getting a look that was much too like Ciel's own smug look for his liking. "They've corrupted you!" he cried, clinging to the young teen as he held out his hand to Sebastian.

"Card please," Ichigo snorted, taking the thin, black card with a small gold square on it before taking out his own wallet and tucking it away.

"Grell, a few warnings. You are to keep Ichigo in one piece. If he has to call for us, you losing your chainsaw will be the least of your problems," Sebastian stated as Ichigo made sure the wallet wasn't going to fall out of his jeans any time soon. Grell chuckled nervously, nodding his head quickly and trying to hide behind the rather bored looking Ichigo. "You are to keep him away from those who have...perverse intentions when it comes to our charge. I don't want him being a one night play thing for some idiot who doesn't know how to treat someone."

"Yes, Sebastian," Grell squeaked, Ichigo rolling his eyes and reaching up to his shoulder, patting the long fingered hand there.

"Don't worry. I'll be coming back a virgin. Like hell am I giving it up to someone who I don't know and don't trust," Ichigo promised before smiling and waving, leading Grell down the stairs, taking the keys held out by Ciel. "Thank you for letting us borrow one of the cars."

"I don't trust that thing that Grell usually drives, especially if you happen to stop for a quick bit of shopping," Ciel snorted before heading to his study with a smirk on his face, Grell moaning and resting his head against Ichigo's shoulder, taking the keys.

"He always insults my baby," Grell whined, his companion snorting as they walked outside to the stylish yet comfortable hatchback.

"It's lollipop red, you drive it like a speed racer and something has been ticking for the last month. You need to take it in to get it fixed," Ichigo stated, opening the door and climbing in it, settling into the seat as Grell walked around to the other side and climbed into the driver's side seat.

"Shut it, brat," Grell huffed, putting the car into gear and pulling away from the mansion, heading to London for the next two days of spa and shopping. The vibrantly colored Grim Reaper had stated that the dear Ichigo needed a weekend of fun and that they would be back late Sunday.

Ichigo had just wanted to spend time with Elizabeth and Grell after finishing his year long projects. It worked for all three of them. It worked especially well for Sebastian and Ciel to have the house to themselves while Undertaker and William watched over the three from afar. Not that the three spa goers knew this. Though Ichigo figured they would have stalkers in some form or another during the time they were gone.

Smiling and blushing lightly, Ichigo pulled out his sketch book and started to work on a new sketch of one of his favorite subjects, William. The man was just such an interesting specimen and he seemed to flirt with him, even though they could do nothing until he was eighteen at the very least. He could wait, wanted to wait really. He felt drawn to the serious Grim Reaper and wanted to get to know him. Looking to Grell, he had to smile slightly.

He was going to enjoy his spa time either way. Ichigo also wanted to pick Grell's brain about a few things anyways also.


	10. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 10

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 10

Characters: Ichigo, Grell, Elizabeth the Second

Word count: 1,597

Warnings: none, just Grell being Grell

AN: And we come to another chapter you guys. I'm getting through it and doing what I need to do. :D

Enjoy you guys.

* * *

Picking up Lizzy the Second, Grell drove the three of them to the spa, all of them enjoying the time away from family and overprotective guardians. Ichigo sat barefoot and with his feet perched on the dashboard before him as Lizzy sat in the back seat, curled up with a book that she had to read and write a report on.

"I hate book reports. It takes all the fun out of a good book since I always end up having to read them two or three times," she gently grumped, flipping back a page, rereading that page before continuing on.

"You could always try what Yuzu did when it came to book reports," Ichigo suggested, his lips tugging into a slight frown, only a tiny bit of sadness evident in his voice at the mention of his sister.

"And what did she do?" Grell asked, curious about that. He may have been dead for many a century already but he had had to learn all about how things worked. That included reports on many things, books being the easiest to gather information from.

Ichigo hummed and smiled slightly. "She would use the voice program with her typing program and dictate her notes as she read her book. We would hear her do it with every book that she read just so she had those base notes to use and many options to choose from. She would then reread the book for the report and make any notes that she forgot at the time," he said, chuckling softly. "I started doing that about a year ago actually, finding it easier to write my reports when I had all of the information neatly there and in my own words."

"It sounds like a useful way to do reports," Elizabeth hummed as they arrived at the spa, making her squeal and bounce in her seat. Grell chuckled as he pulled up to the valet service and the three of them slipped out of the car. Ichigo hummed and made sure that he had his wallet as Elizabeth grabbed her bag with her music player and book. She knew that some parts of the spa experience required music and books to keep from getting too bored.

"Come on, you guys, let's go spoil ourselves here," Grell chirped, leading the way into the spa after handing over the keys to the valet. The two teens headed into the spa with the other man, signing in for their day long fun, paying for everything on the card that Sebastian had handed Ichigo before they had left. Once they were in their private room, clad in the robes that they had brought for their day, Grell sighed happily as he sank into one of the three chairs. "I am going to enjoy this, that's for sure," he sighed.

Ichigo chuckled and nodded his head as he took his own seat, arranging his robe so that his feet and legs could be gotten at easily enough but so that he wasn't showing anything that he didn't want. Like his underwear that were reminiscent of a girls boy cut panties. No need for anyone that wasn't his lover to find out about that fact after all. "It shall be nice, that's for sure," he hummed as Elizabeth fell into the third chair, Ichigo idly musing that she was much more well endowed then what her clothes suggested but not feeling any kind of need. "I suddenly feel bad…" he said softly.

"About what?" Elizabeth asked, her voice curious as she settled into her chair, making sure that she wasn't flashing anyone anything.

"Here I am with a beautiful female of my own age, not related to me in anyway, doesn't have the same hair color as me, nor have I grown up with her, but…I feel not an ounce of arousal. I know other males who would jump all over the chance at being in my position," Ichigo huffed, shrugging one shoulder as Elizabeth pouted and played with the edge of her robe.

"Not even a tiny itty bitty bit?" she cooed, getting a snort from Ichigo as he shook his head with an amused look on his face.

"Not even a tiny itty bitty bit," he drawled, waving one hand as an assistant came in with drinks, straws included, placing them near each person with a smile.

Grell snorted as he gracefully picked up his glass of wine and crossed his legs as he sat back. "I think it's safe to say that the two males in this place like men in some form or another," he drawled, sipping at his drink with an appreciative hum.

Ichigo chuckled and tasted his own juice mix, finding it just right, as promised. "I think it's just me being picky on who I'm attracted to really," he mused, shrugging with a smile, stirring his drink with the straw as their manicurists walked in with their things, ready to start the treatments. They were soon soaking their feet and enjoying the manicures that the women had started. "I mean, I was attracted a little to Tatsuki for a bit there, but it kind of died when I became close to her once more."

"So you lost touch with her for a while there and then got close to her again later?" Elizabeth asked, raising an eyebrow in some amazement as Ichigo nodded.

"Haven't you known her since you were both kids? Like really tiny kids?" Grell asked, Ichigo nodding. "Yeah, sometimes knowing a person that long tends to kill any possible arousal when it comes to a person."

"What about you? You've known Mr. Sebastian and Mr. Ciel for centuries but you still get aroused by them," Elizabeth teased as her nails were gently cleaned and shaped. Ichigo snickered softly in amusement as his own were taken care of, the woman doing them cooing at how good looking they were.

"Oh, Sebby-chan is always gonna look good to me, honey. Same with Ciel now that he's grown up and really gotten used to his own body," Grell drawled, chuckling lowly as his own nails were gently shaped and cleaned. "Those two just ooze self confident sexuality, and the three of us know it," he continued, waving one hand with a chuckle.

"Ah, I don't know about that," Ichigo hummed, eyes falling half shut with a sweet smile on his lips and a blush spreading across his cheeks.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Lizzy asked as her hands came to soak, her feet settling into the water that was placed before her. Ichigo and Grell followed her example as the water massagers were placed before them.

"Well, as hot as they are, they are my guardians and happy together. I don't think I could join in that after they have had so many centuries together and so happy on top of that. Especially if it was just a one night stand or just play," Ichigo hummed, shrugging with a smile on his lips. "As sexually appealing as they are, I want more than that."

"You want romance and a real relationship," Lizzy cooed as she lifted one foot, offering it to her manicurist and enjoying the spoiling.

"Yep," Ichigo hummed as he relaxed into the foot massage with a hum of pleasure. Grell had to chuckle softly at the sight of the usually solemn young man looking so relaxed and happy with how things were at the moment. Lizzy shared a smile with the red headed Grim Reaper before shifting in her chair.

"So who do you have a hard on for?" Grell asked finally, eyes sparkling in some amusement as Ichigo flushed heavily.

"Well, I rather like your partner," Ichigo admitted, smiling slightly at the other man. Grell blinked several times before shaking his head.

"No fucking way. William?" Grell drawled, getting an entirely too innocent look from Ichigo before the younger man chuckled softly and shrugged.

"Yeah, I kind of find him rather handsome all things considered," Ichigo hummed, pointing to a clear polish that would help his nails stay strong and pliable from the ones that were offered to him. "He's nice to me and hasn't treated me badly so far," Ichigo admitted, shrugging one shoulder with a slight smile on his lips.

"My dear, let me tell you all about our dear William and just why you will be so very good for him," Grell purred, eyes shining in some amusement at the fact that his young friend had a crush on his boss and friend. They sat there, Grell telling the two all about William, from their time in the academy all the way to present day, going over all that he could, including just how good he was in bed.

The blush that conversation had gotten had been well worth it, making Lizzy and Grell chuckle as they watched Ichigo sputter and smile.

After they were done with their day; mud baths, massages and facials included; the three left the demon run spa It was a special place for those who had connections and needed a quiet place to just relax without worry of getting attacked. They had an early dinner, or late lunch depending on which of them you asked and at what time you asked, before heading back to their homes, Ichigo and Grell arriving at the mansion just in time for dinner and a decadent dessert.


	11. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 11

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 11

Characters: Ciel, Sebastian, Ichigo, some William

Word count:

Warnings: Gay Safe Sex Talk

AN: Thank you for tuning in. The author is currently giggling herself sick over this chapter and will return in the next chapter. She hopes that you enjoy this chapter as much as she had fun writing it.

* * *

"I cannot believe that this happened." The doors to the study opened suddenly, drawing Ciel out of his work and making him look to his young charge as Ichigo stalked in with a bright blush on his cheeks. He looked more than a little flustered with his ever growing hair all fluffed up.

"What happened?" Ciel asked, raising an eyebrow at his young charge as Ichigo flopped down onto a chair, sprawling out with a groan.

"It seems that our dear Ichigo has caught the attention of one of his class mates. It prompted said classmate to make his affections known with a rather interesting looking kiss," Sebastian drawled. He got a snort from the Ichigo as brown eyes rolled.

"Interesting…yeah right. It was about as interesting as kissing a pig," the younger male growled, crossing his legs as they sat stretched out before him. "It was…disgustingly wet. I don't even know why someone would want to kiss like that," he snorted, pouting slightly.

"It was disgustingly wet, as you called it, because he is a child and not fully grown, much less knowledgeable about kissing," Sebastian stated. He moved to the small coffee and tea station that made serving drinks that much easier. Using the electric kettle, he had hot water in a few moments and three cups of tea, regular for him and Ciel while a nice spiced chai for Ichigo. Handing over the small carton of sweet milk and some sugar packets to the scowling male, he sat down with Ciel on the love seat with their tea. "Kissing with tongue can actually be very pleasurable, especially if done right."

"Trust me when I tell you that it took me quite a while, even with a patient teacher like Sebastian, to learn how to do it," Ciel stated, stirring his tea with a slight smile. "It took me time to learn but I'm glad that I had. It's a very pleasurable type of kissing, along with chaste brushes of lips and the pecks that you often see me and Sebastian exchange."

"Yeah, so I've seen," Ichigo hummed, finally sighing and shrugging with one shoulder. He had known that the kiss hadn't felt right, even with his lack of experience and despite the fact that he had a serious crush on William. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair and wrinkled his nose. "It wasn't any fun, that's for sure. I think I'm seriously picky about things," he signed, rubbing at his face and pouting before making his chai tea to his liking.

Ciel chuckled and shook his head. "No, you know what you like and what you want," he corrected, stirring his tea with a spoon before tapping it off on the side of his cup. "There is a difference. Being picky is having a list of needs and wants before you're even willing to look at someone. Knowing what you want is being flexible on what you need in your life," he continued. "Your father and mother raised you right, my dear Ichigo."

"Indeed, he is right. It helps to be decisive in the long run, especially when it comes to one's love life and what a person wishes in life," Sebastian drawled, smiling at Ichigo as he tasted his tea before adding a bit more cream.

"Tou-chan always did tell me to know what your mind is and to stay strong," Ichigo hummed, tasting his tea again and nodding his head.

"Still, did he ever give you the sex talk?" Sebastian asked, raising an eyebrow at the way the other flushed bright red.

"He gave me pamphlets," Ichigo squeaked, getting sighs from the two men as they shared an amused look on their faces.

"Pamphlets tell you nothing," Ciel drawled, crossing his legs and sitting back with a slight smirk on his lips. "At least not when it comes to the actual act. Pleasure, giving and taking of it at the least, is something entirely different alone than when with another. Are women interesting at all to you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Ichigo shook his head after a few minutes, nose wrinkling.

"No, not really. I mean, they're nice to look at and I can appreciate women but I'm not really into them sexually," Ichigo admitted, shrugging one shoulder as he looked at his caretakers.

"Alright then, we'll talk about two males and the sexual relations between them," Sebastian hummed. Ichigo flushed a bit more as he played with his cup some more. "It's quite a bit different then with a male and a female since there is only one place for penetration after all. You will need lubrication and condoms, both of which we are willing to provide for you if you want it. Safety is paramount to having a good sex life after all," he said, the two watching as Ichigo's blush darkened even more.

"Foreplay is also very important. It gives both of you time to become aroused and to arouse," Ciel continued for them, smiling lightly as Ichigo hid behind his cup of tea, shifting on the couch before him. "During that time, there is kissing ranging from the chaste to the deeply involved, including tongue. Along with that, there is a lot of touching, stroking and finding the places that draw the best sounds from your lover. Usually the best places to tease are where the pulse is or where the blood is nearest the surface for the simple fact that they tend to be thinner and more sensitive. Nipples and genitals of course are good spots to tease, but they can get boring to tease after a while, so having a catalog of places to tease is always good," he finished, draining his tea with a smile.

"Oh gods, I can't believe that I'm having this conversation with you two," Ichigo whimpered, getting gentle chuckles from the two men.

"Calm down, Ichigo, we're just giving you a proper talk for when you finally find someone that sparks your interest in actually having sexual intercourse," Sebastian hummed. He stood up to make a fresh cup for himself and Ciel. "When it comes to the actual penetration, it's always best to start teasing with the first finger. This is just stroking and playing with the ring before actually trying to press a finger inwards, taking your time. Or having your lover take their time. Even the most experienced bottoms need to be stretched because it is such a delicate area."

"Rips and the such, right?" Ichigo asked, getting nods from the two men.

"Exactly. I can tell you that having to wait to have sex again because something delicate tore sucks very much. Now, you should only add fingers, preferably four if new to sex, three if not so much, when the sting and or pain of the entry disappear and the muscles relax," Ciel stated. He was enjoying the way Ichigo's face was slowly going bright red again, starting from where his collar hid his chest going up. "It takes time but it can be very pleasurable once you find the prostate, but it can also be pleasurable even if you don't find it. Some males like the feeling, others not so much; it all depends on a males body and the way they are built. Personally, I'm one for the friction of the act and prefer bottoming to topping, even though I do top on occasion," he continued, smirking at the dying cat sound that came from Ichigo.

"I didn't want to know that! Why did you tell me that!?" he whined, shaking his head, hair flopping about his face.

"Because it happens, so shush," Sebastian teased, eyes amused by it all, sitting back down again. "When it comes to the actual penetration, it must be slow the first few times. I am not joking you, it must be slow. Rock back and forth slowly if you're topping, same if you're being topped by the person. Any sting or pain that comes from it, stop and wait for it to past, doing something to distract and relax. During the actual sex, take your time in enjoying the feeling and make sure that you use a lot of lubricant during all of this."

Ichigo whimpered and stood up, shaking his head. "I need to…do things. Excuse me," he squeaked, putting his cup down before quickly leaving the study, squealing in surprise when he ran into William. He promptly turned bright red and ran around the man, heading up the stairs to ignore the fact that his hormones were raging heavily through his body.

"What was that all about?" William asked the two demons as he stepped into the study, blinking at the chuckles that the question received.

"Oh, we were just giving Ichigo a lesson in sex," Sebastian drawled, getting a wide eyed look from William.

"I see. So that's why he was blushing so heavily," William sighed softly, shaking his head with a slight smile on his lips. "Anyways, I have a report on the Kurosaki family souls if you would like them."


	12. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 12

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 12

Characters: Ichigo

Word count: 1,515

Warnings: Nothing

AN: This chapter is rather kind of a filler introspective chapter for our dear Ichigo. Just thinking and showing the changes in him so far.

I remember when I was writing it that I was talking with Affy about how he would have changed during his time under his guardians. So this chapter was plotted and written out. It turned out pretty nicely.

You'll see a few chapters like this pop up in the story. It gives more emotion, I think, to the story in general.

Enjoy all.

* * *

The scent of paint hung in the air, filling his nose before a new breeze fluttered through the windows that he had opened for the breeze that was blowing through England for the last two weeks. Ciel had told him that winter was on its way and they had gone out for winter clothes.

He was anticipating the winter break that was to come next week, his current painting before him his semester final for his art class along with a few other pieces in various styles that were all a part of a series. The painting that he was copying in a smaller degree for the series was sitting on its own easel as he sat on a padded bar stool, eyes trained on it.

He was still shocked just how much things had changed in such a short time. Ichigo had lived with the two demons for nearly eleven months but in that time he had gone from hurting and mourning to somewhat happy and very content with how life was going for him. He had made a friend in Lizzy, as he called her to both of their amusements, and a friend in Grell. The fact that both Lizzy and Ichigo considered him more than a little touched in the head notwithstanding. He had joined a school that catered to his skills but helped them to grow and helped him to learn new skills.

It was even better to him then the school that he had gone to in Japan, being more open but still expecting the best that he could do to come from him.

Swishing his brush in the water next to him, Ichigo stood up and grabbed the washed out yogurt container, moving to the industrial sink, and rinsing out the dirty water. He gently cleaned his brushes, treating those that he wasn't going to be using any more that session and drying the others with soft towels. His mind wasn't truly on the movements, instead working out what how he was going to shade and create depth to the painting that he was working on.

Turning to the almost done creation, he compared the painting of Ciel's mother to the one that he was creating before nodding his head. It was coming along perfectly; his painting softer and in a more realistic style then the one painted oh so long ago, but he had no doubt that his demonic guardian would enjoy the painting. The rest of his collection were two statues of Ciel and Sebastian; pictures of William, Ciel, Sebastian, Grell and Undertaker in male clothing of the Victorian ages while Elizabeth had been in women's; three paintings, one of Ciel's father, one of Madam Red as they called her, and one of Elizabeth. He still had sketches of the various people that Ciel had known during that time along with a few more small statues and paintings.

He was glad that he had such a long time to actually finish the entire selection but nervous about the show that all the students joined in at the end of each year.

Shaking his head free of the thoughts that had slipped in, Ichigo refilled his water holder and moved to perch on his stool once more. Plucking up the right brush, he smiled softly at it and chuckled, remembering when his father had given it to him. It was their last Christmas together, a time that he now cherished no matter how annoying his father had been on that day, and Isshin had pulled out one last box, a surprise gift.

It had been the very set that he had been scrimping to save for but had to spend it all on replacing his new uniform since they had been on a lean week for money. Isshin had seen how sad his child had been at having to wait for another six months, at least to get his paint set and gone out and bought the set. Even with his father paying him back, Ichigo had found himself having to wait to buy the set himself since they had run out of them.

To say that Ichigo had been happy was saying that a kitten was nice looking. It was an understatement and Isshin had sworn that two of his ribs had cracked with how hard his child had hugged him.

He still used the set seeing as they were well made and created for the purpose of adding shading and depth to a picture, only three of the twelve actually meant to be used to create the strokes that created that first layer. Setting his treated brushes down into the new case that Ciel had gotten him as a surprise for his first report card, as childish as it sounded, he went back to work. He dipped a brush in a darker shade of the blue that he had painted the dress worn by his subject in.

Very carefully starting the next layer, he peeked up at the original painting before continuing on with his painting, mind blissfully blank for a short time. He cleaned the brush that he had used and plucked a thinner brush from his collection, dipping it into the blue paint.

Once he finished with the last layer, he cleaned his brushes and treated them before putting them away and allowing the paint to dry slowly. He sat on his stool once more and picked up his lidded cup, pulling some of the juice within it up through the straw as he stared at it.

"One day I will paint them," he hummed softly, eyes flicking to the pictures that decorated one wall of his art studio. They were the pictures that had, at one time, been on the walls and mantel and shelves of his family's home, the very home that was now locked up and watched over by Sado for him. "Someday I will be able to do so without breaking down," he huffed, shaking his head with a smile on his lips before standing up and cleaning off his hands.

Closing everything up, except for one window that he made sure nothing would be able to get past the screen and rather slim opening, he walked back into the main house. He passed the study, where he could hear the clack of a keyboard coming from inside, telling him that Ciel was hard at work creating something or another, or planning on doing something. Heading up the stairs, he smiled to the shy little maid who came in once a week with her fellow cleaners to clean the mansion and headed for his room, giving the maid who kept trying to break into his room a dark glare.

Once he had locked himself in his room once more, he sighed and made a note to tell Sebastian about the maid that couldn't seem to stop herself from trying to get into his room. Shaking his head and clearing the thoughts from it, he walked over to his bed and sat down, reaching under and pulling out the clear box from under it and opened it. He pulled out a photo album and his sketch book, opening both with a sigh.

Stroking over the pictures of his sisters, still so clearly remembering their laughter and joy, he smiled softly, wondering just when the bite of hurt had dulled to something more bittersweet, shaking his head with a sigh. He moved past those pictures, pausing on a few of his father that had him in it too, pausing only long enough to stare for a few moments at the man that had raised him for so long before moving on to the ones of his friends.

He smiled at the fact that he still spoke with Sado, Mizurio, Keigo, Tatsuki and surprisingly enough Orihime, sharing letters, pictures and e-mails with all of them. Ichigo snorted and made a note to spend a bit of his allowance from the trust fund that he had from his family's estate to buy a good phone with long distance to call them and actually talk with them. It would be nice to hear their voices on a good line and not have to worry about Grell listening in on them.

Chuckling, Ichigo slid out a new picture of Orihime and picked a new piece of paper in his sketch book before hunting down his eraser and sketch pencil before settling in with a hum of delight. He had promised Sado a picture of everyone drawn by him and sent in time for Christmas. Said picture had already been planned out but he wanted to practice their faces before he actually drew it and colored it.

Soon he had several pages filled with sketches of various friends scattered around him and the real drawing well on its way to being ready to ink and color before he framed it and sent it on its way. He wondered if he could start doing commissions during the summer time when he wasn't so busy with school works.


	13. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 13

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 13

Characters: Ichigo, Ciel, Sebastian, William, Grell,

Word count: 1,727

Warnings: Nothing

AN: This is just some random Christmas character building and showing how the rest of Ichigo's teen years go. *nods* Next chapter brings forth the oh so wonderful start of the main plot line. :3 *cackles*

Enjoy.

* * *

Christmas came in a flurry of surprise, if not small, snow storms and plans for a Christmas in Rome. The last day of school found Ichigo, Grell, William, Undertaker, Ciel and Sebastian on a private jet to Rome to spend the next two weeks there. They arrived late in the afternoon and took a private car to Trevi Bed and Breakfast near the Trevi Fountain where they had reservations for single rooms for him, each of the Grim Reapers and one for the two demons.

Ichigo sighed and flopped onto his bed with a sigh, finding it comfortable even for a rather small room. He didn't really care about the size considering it had a desk that would work for when he had to transfer pictures off of his brand new digital camera to his portable drive. Hauling himself up and off of the bed, he groaned and slowly stretched his body, feeling the long day that had started two days before. He had spent a night packing and double checking everything to make sure that he was prepared, including his passport and ID's that he would need. He had also had to check his cards that he had been given and the cash that he had been saving up for Christmas.

Once he had finished, it had been close to midnight and he had crashed out only to get up around 5 in the morning to go to the last day of classes where they would get their scores for the semester. He had gotten As and Bs, making him rather happy about that considering that he wasn't used to such a system being used. Sebastian and Ciel had picked him up in the packed full rental van before driving him to the airport where they went through what they needed and got onto the private jet.

Ichigo had growled at them until they had bought him food since he hadn't had much of an appetite for most of the day having lived off of milk and tea to get through his day. He had caught a nap on the flight to Rome and some during their drive to the bed and breakfast but he was still tired. He had a feeling that his companions were feeling the long days too but knew that they were all going to gather and go to a quiet, hidden restaurant.

Pulling out his laptop, he set it on the desk along side a converting plug, plugging both in before pulling out the little internet connector that Ciel had given him for the trip along with his portable drive. Once that was done, he started to put up his art supplies and clothing in the small closet before pulling down a fresh set of clothes to take a quick shower. Once that was done, his bags fully unpacked and put away, he tucked his wallet into his pants just as his door was knocked upon.

"Ichigo, are you ready to go?" Ciel asked through the door, pulling a smile from the young male.

"Yeah, I am. Just a moment," he called in return, sitting down on the chair with his shoes in hand. Leaning over, he pulled on the simple slip-ons before standing and gazing at himself in the mirror. He had decided on a pair of pants that kind of reminded him of dance pants with how they were built, tighter at the top and looser at the bottom, and a long, loose tunic like shirt that was a dark gray color.

Smiling and checking to make sure that he had everything he needed for dinner, he opened the door and smiled at Ciel, who just raised an eyebrow in return. "Come. The rest are waiting for us downstairs," the demon chuckled, leading Ichigo downstairs and meeting with the others before they all climbed into the private car that would take them to their destination.

Once they were tucked up in a booth out of the way, Ichigo found himself sitting next to William while Grell flirted with not only Sebastian but Ciel too, Ichigo leant forward and held his chin on one hand. "So, what's the plans that you have going on for our two week vacation?" Ichigo asked, raising an eyebrow with a smile on his lips.

Sebastian chuckled and pulled out a small note book with days, times and places on it. "There are a few places that we can't get into due to us being who we are, but William has agreed to escorting you to where we cannot," he said, handing over the note book with a smile. "We have made sure you have a stock of rechargeable batteries for your cameras along with a duffel bag full of black and white film for your camera that takes film. The cards we gave you have an unlimited balance on it since we know that you only buy what you need or will use so we're trusting you with this. This trip is actually my present to you."

"The rest is my present for you outside of what we did buy," Ciel continued, smiling at the way Ichigo was rubbing at one eye with a tissue. He had told them that one day he wanted to spend just a week if he could in Rome, just exploring and taking pictures and drawing. And it seemed as if his guardians were fulfilling that dream for him.

"Thank you," Ichigo hummed, everyone smiling at him, enjoying the sweetness that came from the usually quiet young teen.

"I claim a day to show you around. I think all of us are claiming a day to show you around some of the smaller places," William chuckled, pointing to where they each had a day with a day between. "We all have our gifts waiting, except Grell though. I think his gift is waiting for spring time to arrive," he mused, Grell nodding as the waitress came up.

William asked for the saltimbocca alla romana, Grell asked for abbacchio ala scottadito while Ciel went for a simple carbonara, Sebastian ordered fettuccine al burro and Ichigo, on William's suggestion, ordered pasta e ceci, which he found out later was a winter soup made with chickpeas. While they waited for their main dishes, they drank wine in the adult's cases while Ichigo drank a sweet drink that he rather liked. They also had bruschetta, a fried combination plate that included clam strips, calamari, coconut shrimp and buffalo shrimp, and, surprisingly enough to Ichigo, mozzarella sticks with a real marinara sauce that enhanced the subtle flavorings of the mozzarella.

"So what exactly am I waiting for there, Grell-chan?" Ichigo asked, biting into a bruschetta with a hum at the lovely little flavors that filled his mouth.

"Flowers for your balcony. I know you were planning on creating a little garden on it and all that, so I ordered some lovely flowers that I know you'll love," Grell stated, stealing a buffalo shrimp and biting into it with a hum. "I'm glad we're going to be walking so much. I can eat all I want now," he chuckled, getting amused looks from his companions.

"Indeed," Ciel drawled, as they continued to eat and wait for their main dishes, talking about what was going to happen and where. Ichigo found out that he, Grell and William all had Vespa's waiting for them at the bed and breakfast while the other's had small cars for their own usage along with the larger car service for when they were all together.

After dinner, they all went back to the bed and breakfast and spent the next two weeks going around the various sites of Rome, some famous, some in little cobblestones plazas. Ichigo had pictures of the Piazza di Spagna, and had several gifts for Lizzy who had stayed behind with her family instead of coming with. He had also been to Via Borgognona, Via Margutta, Via del Corso, Via del Banbuino and the Porta Portese Flea Market, hitting them all with Grell by his side in three days.

After that, he and his demon guardians went walked from the Colosseum, down to Palatine Hill, to the Roman forum, Capitoline Hill, Piazza del Campidoglio and the Pantheon. They had a simple lunch that they bought from delis and cheese makers on the way to the Trevi fountain. They walked through Borghese Park and to the Trastevere, before many of the businesses opened for the night and caught a ride back to their vehicle near the Colosseum.

William took him to see the Vatican museum, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica and Square and down a long stroll down Tiber River cand Baccala one day before visiting the Castel 'Sant'Angelo, Villa Farnesina, the Piazza Navona and Campo de Fiori. They all went to see the Capitoline Museums and visited the Ancient Appian Way.

When they weren't together, Ichigo was browsing the antique stores and various plaza's on his own while his companions did their own things. They also visited the Trastevere to hit up the night life that they could with Ichigo and see the buildings that lit up like nothing else. They saw plays and concerts and all around had two weeks of pure fun.

By the time that they were on their private jet, Ichigo had two new end tables that matched his bed that he had found in a little corner shop, and several new styles of paint brushes. He also had a nearly full portable drive filled with pictures and videos, and several sketch books full of sketches that Ichigo had done while alone and exploring around Rome. He had filled every roll of film and would get them developed once they were back home.

Ciel and Sebastian had dealt with a few people that they had been after when they weren't with Ichigo and had found a few artifacts that were on their way to the mansion too. William came back richer, in his opinion, having gotten to know Ichigo even more and gotten even closer to him while Grell had been able to get close to the two demons.

All around, it was a vacation to remember fondly and the two demons would have to work to make the next vacation just as memorable.


	14. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 14

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 14

Characters: Ichigo, Ciel, Sebastian, William, Grell,

Word count: 1,997

Warnings: Nothing

AN: And we start the fun part. :D Enjoy you guys.

* * *

Standing before the house that he had grown up in before the day it had all been taken away, Ichigo licked his lips slowly before taking in a deep breath and running a hand through his hair.

It had been nearly three years since he had seen the house that was standing before him. Three years where he had gone to an art school, graduated with some of the highest scores of his classmates and with an offer to go to another prestigious college to continue on with his schooling. He had moved past the utter hatred that he had felt towards his family's killers and the pain of losing them the way he had.

He still felt the pain but it didn't hurt as much and he still hated them but it wasn't blinding. His goal now was to make sure that they would never do what they had done to his family to anyone else ever again. Ciel and Sebastian had made sure that he would have all of the knowledge to get him going. Undertaker had surprisingly taken over his training for his powers, knowing enough to get him to the point where he could explore and discover on his own.

He knew he was half shinigami, had actually met with his zanpactou's physical being and named him but he hadn't gone that last step in opening the box with his powers. Not until he had a secure place and he knew that he was going to find it here, with his godfather Kisuke Urahara, an exiled shinigami in his own right, to watch over him as he did so.

But that would happen once he set things into motion here in Karakura Town.

Jerking slightly, he turned around when Sebastian placed his hand onto his lower back with concerned blood colored eyes, black eyebrow cocked. "Ichigo, are you alright?" the demon asked, curling his fingers around the young man's hip and soothing the frantic thoughts that were obviously running about the young man's head.

"Yeah, I am. I'm just thinking about what is going to happen soon," Ichigo hummed, smiling up at the other. He had gotten closer to Sebastian and Ciel over the last few years, close enough to call them brother and be called brother in return. He wore a simple necklace that rested against his neck, an enchantment that hid him from those who dared to try to find him before he wanted to be found. A gift from his demonic siblings but also from William who had added his own type of power to the necklace.

William was next in coming up to him and grasped his hand, bringing it up to kiss his palm with a gentle look. "Come on, let's do what we need to do and get this part over with. It's like ripping off a bandage," he said, Ichigo nodding his head. Walking up to the door, they unlocked the door with the new key that they had been sent by Sado after he had changed the locks on the doors for them.

Taking a deep breath, Ichigo pushed the door open and they stepped in, Sebastian, Grell, Ciel and Undertaker all unloading the car as the couple stepped into the house. The first thing that the younger of the two noticed was the scent of cleaners and the lack of dust on any surface. Stepping past the entry hall, shoes pulled off, they headed further into the house, walking into the living room. The furniture looked as if it had been cleaned deeply and the curtains looked freshly washed.

"It looks as if Sado came in with my friends to clean for us," Ichigo hummed, eyes taking in the places where he could remember pictures hanging, and where books and albums once sat. Lacing his fingers with William's, he stepped away from the living room and walked into the kitchen. He took in the new appliances that Ciel and Sebastian had gotten installed in preparation of them coming to stay, and the laundry room beyond the kitchen before walking up the stairs with some trepidation.

He walked to his father's room first, finding brand new carpet having replaced the original that had been stained and squeezed William's fingers. His companion stroked his thumb over the back of his knuckles, giving him the comfort he needed. The two took in the room that had once been Isshin's room, the walls painted a neutral color while the bed and the furniture replaced with a new bed, dresser and desk.

Leaving the room, the couple headed to the twin's room, finding it to had been repainted and refurnished, the girls things all packed away and stored in the basement along with Isshin's and Masaki's items. Finding that he wasn't seeing their bodies where they had laid but instead memories of them doing things came to him. Humming quietly and leaning against his partner, lead him to his bedroom, finding it cleaned out as a guest room.

"This is where I grew up," Ichigo sighed, moving into the room and smiling at the desk that would act as his main desk and study area more than likely. He looked to his closet and opened it, finding three rolled up futons along with some new linens, making him chuckle. "It seems as if Ciel and Sebastian have seen to everything that we need," he said, pulling his companion down to the main bathroom before meeting Ciel and Sebastian at the top of the stairs.

"We'll be taking the guest room, which used to be your sister's room," Ciel stated, Ichigo nodding and taking his bags from Sebastian as William took his own from Grell.

"Grell and I will take the office for now and then we'll figure out what you want to do with the clinic. Undertaker apparently has a place to stay," William offered, getting a nod of agreement from Ichigo as he headed to his room with his bags, dropping them off and coming back for the other bags that were his. The others followed after him, dropping off their bags in their chosen rooms before Sebastian disappeared off to buy groceries with Grell following after him like a faithful puppy dog.

Ichigo was soon placing his things away, working on refolding and putting away his clothes when William came in and joined him in putting things away, the two quiet as they worked.

"So, what's first on the things we need to do?" William asked, making sure that Ichigo's art supplies were tucked away just right.

"First things first," Ichigo said, closing the drawer to his dresser and standing up straight after hiding away a cell phone, "we get food in this house and then tomorrow we talk with Urahara. I know I've been talking with him for a while but that's over the phone. I think it's important that we talk with him face to face though."

"Of course," William hummed, pulling out his phone and frowning at it with a serious look on his face. "Depending on what time you go I may not be able to go with you," he warned, Ichigo chuckling and coming over to tug him down to a kiss by his tie.

"I know. I'm just lucky that you guys do your work via computers now days instead of handwriting it all," he teased, getting a low powered glare from his partner. William had told him that it hadn't taken them long to get into computers once the first one had come out in the Living world and adapt them to the use of the Grim Reapers. He had been teased about it whenever Ichigo felt the urge to.

"Shush, brat," William huffed and tugged on a lock of Ichigo's hair that had grown to brush his back and frame his face. "Come on, let us see if we cannot order something for dinner and discuss what we should do," he suggested, the two finding Ciel sitting at the dining room table with menus spread out before him. "Reading our minds I see."

"Indeed I have," Ciel chuckled, picking up one menu and holding it out. "I figured we'd go for something traditional for our first official day back in Japan."

"That sounds good to me," Ichigo hummed, sitting down at the table with Ciel and William. They ordered for themselves and for their missing friends before settling in to talk, Ciel and William calling the other two on their cells as they shopped. "So, we're going to see Urahara tomorrow morning, while the schools are in session since he does run a candy shop, such as it is."

"I thought classes were out for the summer, Ichigo," Grell said, his voice coming from William's phone.

"Not for the Japanese. The school year extends a bit longer here," Ichigo reminded his friend as he tapped his fingers on the table. "I think you and William will probably be busy during that time so Ciel, Sebastian and I shall all go and met with him. If you have time, you can come and meet him then, if that's fine."

"Sounds fine to me," William replied, Ichigo smiling up at him. "If you need us, we will be watching you from afar," he promised.

"Anyways, during that time we'll discuss how to…disconnect my soul from my body, if you will, so that I can use my powers without being held back," Ichigo continued. "I think after we do that, I will try to meet with my friends. They have been apparently studying with Urahara to control their abilities, which is a surprise to me," he snorted, shaking his head. "Sado let slip during the call that I had with him on the plane actually. It was kind of interesting to learn that not only does Sado have powers, but so does Orihime, and apparently this one classmate who was a real stuck up piece of work named Uryuu Ishida is a Quincy."

"I thought the Quincy's were all killed out by the psycho Mayuri , the guy who runs the Twelfth division," Grell yelped. Ichigo frowned and adding another name to his ever growing list of people to watch and take care of eventually.

"No. Two, well three if you count your mother, Ichigo, were well hidden away from the Seireitei's eyes," Sebastian stated over Ciel's line. "So, we are to meet these friends of yours finally? How about your other friends?" he asked.

"Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro? They all show signs of some ability to see spirits and interact with them but not quite as much as Sado, Orihime and Ishida-san all do. I think it comes from the fact that they live a pretty happy life, all things considered and have no need to truly worry about how the spiritual world shall affect them. Sado and Orihime have both been touched by death," Ichigo explained, sighing softly. "Ishida-san's ability comes from his family's line I believe."

"That is correct," Ciel hummed, nodding his head with a smile before sitting back and playing with the menus on the table.

"So you shall speak with Urahara-san come morning along with your friends, correct?" Sebastian asked, a yelp from Grell coming over loud and clear from the two, getting a snicker from Ichigo.

"Yes, we shall. And I'll bring them over for you guys to introduce them if you don't make it to the meeting," Ichigo promised, before they all said their goodbyes and went back to setting up the house, including opening the windows to let in air flow through the rooms once more. The stale scent had cleared out by the time Sebastian and Grell had arrived once more at the house, instead replaced by the freshness of the real world and the scent of real food.


	15. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 15

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 15

Characters: Ciel, Sebastian, Sado, Ichigo, Urahara

Word count: 1,741

Warnings: Nothing

AN: Starting to introduce characters and setting the stage! Hot damn! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and all the chapters to come. :D I'm off to do more things. I have a word count to hit.

* * *

The next morning, Ichigo got up early, sliding out of bed and making William growl as he woke up, eyes blinking to clear his sight. Smiling at his companion, glad that the Grim Reaper didn't mind sleeping next to him and expecting nothing more than a warm body to cuddle up to, Ichigo gathered his outfit for the day, stealing one of his partner's shirts to wear. Heading to his personal bathroom, door closed behind him and window cracked open to let out the steam, he was soon clean and dressed.

Coming back out, Ichigo had to chuckle at the fact that his companion was up but was grumpily sitting on the edge of the bed, rubbing at his face as he tried to wake up. "Before I started to see you more often, I always thought you were a morning person," he teased, getting a dark look from William before he was pulled over by the man.

"Grell is the morning person," William grunted, burying his face into Ichigo's stomach. He got a chuckle from the younger man before he pulled away to head down to the kitchen with a smile, leaving the Grim Reaper to take his own shower and dress.

Once downstairs, Ichigo greeted Grell and Sebastian and started to help make breakfast with the two, all of them sitting down to eat before the youngest took his demonic guardians to Urahara's shoten. Sado met them when they were nearly there. Ichigo had chuckled and hugged the larger man, squeaking when he had been picked up and squeezed tightly, Sado muttering softly in Spanish.

"It's good to see you too," Ichigo hummed, hugging his friend around his head and running his fingers through soft hair, taking in the scent of strength and power with a smile. "You grew a goatee since the last picture," he teased as he was put down onto his own two feet.

"I did," Sado rumbled, nodding to the two demons who were eyeing him and looking as if they wanted to steal Ichigo away and hide him away for all time. "Your guardians?" he asked, bowing slightly to Sebastian and Ciel.

"Yes. Sado, I would like to introduce Ciel Phantomhive and Sebastian Michaelis, my guardians and the ones that have kept me safe from everyone," Ichigo chuckled, patting Sado on his stomach. "This big lug is Sado Yasutora, one of my oldest friends. I think I told you two how we met," he continued, smiling brightly.

"Yes, you told us about saving him from some thugs back when you were still having to protect yourself from people who thought you dyed and the such," Sebastian said. He watched as Ichigo flush and the younger man rub at his face. "Such a little fighter."

"Comes in handy now days," Ichigo replied, flashing his guardian's a smile as they continued on their way to the shoten. Once they were there, Sebastian was the first one to step into the shop, eyes sweeping around the shelves and making sure that there was no danger for those under his care. Ciel followed after him and then Ichigo once he had been told that it was clear to do so. "Hello?" he called out, slipping off his shoes at the raised area that lead towards the back living space.

"Ahh, Ichigo-kun, you have grown so very much," Urahara chuckled as he came out from the back, fan waving and smiling behind it. Ichigo just raised an eyebrow at the other man.

"Your pictures are deceptive, Urahara-san," Ichigo replied, waving a hand at his guardians. "I'm sure you know my guardians, and of course Sado-kun too. You are Kisuke Urahara, exiled taicho of the Twelfth squad. And the one who is rather willing to help us at the moment, right?" he asked, Urahara tilting his head in agreement.

"Indeed I am. Welcome to my shoten. If you'll follow me, I can show you where you can sit and we can talk," Urahara chuckled, drawing the four to his dining room table and sitting down at it with them.

Ichigo looked at the large man who came out with a tray filled with cups and a pot, eyebrows raising. "My, you are much larger than your pictures suggest," Ichigo breathed, blinking at him as Sebastian and Ciel both smirked at their young charge.

"Of course he is," Ciel chuckled, shaking his head with a smile, drawing a pout from Ichigo as he accepted the tea cup from Tessai.

"Ichigo-san, it is good to see you once more," Tessai greeted, leaving the tray for them before bowing and leaving.

"So, how are we supposed to get to the Seireitei? And where do I need to go once I get there?" Ichigo asked, cutting straight to business, adding a bit of honey to his tea and taking in the deep breath of green tea with a hum of pleasure. It was hard to find a proper tea in England, as he often told the English males, getting protests about their tea, and he was going to enjoy a properly made green tea that teased his taste buds.

"First of all, what do you know about your family's deaths?" Urahara asked. He leant forward with his own tea cup in hand, eyes shadowed by the green striped hat that sat over blond locks. Ichigo frowned and nibbled at his bottom lip.

"We know that it was Shinigami who had killed my father and sisters, that much is true. When they were picked up by Undertaker as a favor to Ciel and Sebastian, they were able to say that they were probably from the Second Division of the Seireitei's Gotei 13," Ichigo stated, playing with his tea cup.

Urahara hummed softly, eyes soft. "I had wondered where their souls had gone off to," he said, Ichigo smiling slightly.

"They were marked for immediate pick up by the Grim Reapers since with the Shinigami they have to wait for the souls to be released from their bodies," Ichigo admitted, shrugging one shoulder before sighing lowly. "I was lucky that they were able and willing to do what they did for my family," he continued, leaning against Sado, enjoying his silent comfort for a few moments before looking up at him with a bemused expression. "No insult but I much prefer William to you."

"Your boyfriend, right?" Sado asked, Ichigo snorting and Urahara looking interested in that aspect.

"Boyfriend eh?" the hat wearing blond purred, eyes sparkling.

"Not so much a boy as a man who I happen to be dating," Ichigo stated, tossing a bit of the cookies that Tessai had snuck onto the table, turning his bemused look to his godfather. "Now, I have a feeling that you know just who it was who went after my family."

"Yes, I do know. I've told you about Yoruichi right?" Urahara asked, Ichigo nodding his head with an amused look on his face. "She was able to find out just who it was that came. It was indeed some of the Second division fighters, but it was not Soi-Fon who ordered the hit or approved of it. Rather, it came down from the higher ups."

"Which higher ups though? Or was Yoruichi unable to get that information?" Ciel asked, raising an eyebrow at the man before them with a semi curious look on his face.

"You are right, she was unable to get that information. She had gotten into the daireishoairo, or the Great Archive of Seireitei, but wasn't able to find the right file before she had to leave," Urahara said, nodding his head with a serious look on his face. "I know where you can find it when you enter and I'll send you with a map of a sorts to get there," he promised, the four males before him nodding their heads in agreement.

"So, how are we getting through to Seireitei?" Sebastian asked, placing his tea cup down, having been quiet the entire time the conversation had gone on.

"You shall be using the dangai that I have been piecing together for the last two months. Since you had told us that you guys were coming I've been working to gather everything that I would need to build it. I just finished gathering everything so it'll be another two months before you can go through," Urahara warned before smirking. "But I do believe that you are also here is to learn how to use the zanpactou that your dear guardians have told me that you have contacted and talk with often, yes?"

"Yes," Ichigo said, scowling at the bland looking Ciel and Sebastian as the two demons tried to pull of innocent and not quite pulling it off. "I'm onto you two, don't think I'm not," he stated, pointing his finger at the two men, showing them that they were on his hit list for the moment in one movement.

They feared for their share of the cake that they knew Ichigo was going to make soon.

"Come now. We can start tomorrow, how does that sound?" Urahara chirped, Ichigo nodding in agreement, smiling slightly at the man. "For now, what are your plans?" he asked.

Ichigo chuckled and put his now empty tea cup onto the table. "I need to meet the resident Shinigami and get under their skin," he said simply, eyebrow raising. "It'll be good to have a feel for the layout and social structure of the Seireitei. And if I get lucky, they'll be willing to help me with what I need to do to make sure that this never happens again. Because from what we've learned, this hasn't been the first time that they have killed someone just because they feel the person or persons aren't useful or they consider them dangerous."

"You are right about that," Urahara sighed, putting his own tea cup down. "And luckily enough for you, I know just who it is that is the resident Shinigami. Her name is Kuchiki Rukia and this is her third time here. She keeps in contact with me due to her needing a touch stone where she can heal and train as needed," he smirked, Ichigo smiling softly.

"I think I'll introduce myself to Kuchiki-san sometime tonight," Ichigo chuckled.


	16. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 16

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 16

Characters: Ichigo, William, Sado, Tatsuki, Mizuiro, Orihime, Keigo

Word count: 1,760

Warnings: Nothing

AN: Okay you guys, I originally had a very happy, bright authors note going on but then...I got some kind of idiotic review. I have moderated them (not telling you guys where), and I'm here to tell you guys this.

Do you have ANY idea how hard it is to post three times a week? Any idea? It can be a bitch for the simple fact that I have several steps to get to where I am done posting. Let me go over those.

First I have to make sure the chapter is in its own file. Once that's done, I have to set up the above and make sure that everything has been filled out. After I have everything filled out, I have to make sure that the body of the chapter is formatted. After all of that is done, I can start posting! Well, that's not the easy part. I post on four different sites and each site has it's own rules and ways of posting. With Y!Gallery, I have to INDIVIDUALLY TAG each chapter. That takes me anywhere from 4 to 10 minutes.

Then I post on AFF, AO3, and then finally Fanfiction. Net. That is if the chapter doesn't have smut. That can take anywhere from 9 to 30 minutes.

And I do this. Three. Times. A. Week. Okay!? So the next idjit that tells me I should post my finished stories once a day every fucking day will end up on a very nasty replay. *twitches*

For now, enjoy the story.

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Flopping down onto the couch that still smelled like fabric freshener, Ichigo moaned and rolled his feet with a groan. "I forgot how much fun it is to just walk somewhere without everyone and their mother trying to bother you," he hummed, before twisting his head to stare at his guardians. "Tell me again why you know Japanese so damn well? Including the slang and all that."

Ciel smirked and patted him on the head, moving to the desk that had been set up before a window and sat down in the chair. "We've had many years to perfect it and years to learn as many languages as we can," he said, watching as Sado gingerly sat down next to Ichigo before settling back.

"I called the others to come over," the large half Mexican said, his voice rumbling slightly, making Ichigo hum and nod his head.

"Good to know," Ichigo sighed, slowly stretching before standing up and moving to where he could hear William making something or another. Probably more coffee before the man went back to his paperwork. "We're gonna have guests soon," he warned his partner as he pulled out a tea kettle that looked new, along with a tea set.

"Good to know. These are the friends that have the powers, yes?" William asked, tilting his head to the side as he watched Ichigo prepare the tea. "You have never stopped being good at that," he chuckled. Ichigo gave him a look before rolling his eyes with an amused look on his face.

"Shush. And yes, these are those friends. I haven't actually seen them face to face since the school trip that I was on with them," Ichigo admitted, sighing softly and shrugging one shoulder. He looked over his shoulder as the door bell rang, hearing the quiet footsteps of Sado moving to answer it for him.

William just gave the doorway a dull look. "It is surprising at just how quiet your friend is considering just how big he is," he stated, remembering the fact that Sado had managed to sneak up on him that morning.

Ichigo chuckled and finished making the tea before putting everything on a tray, winking at his partner and moving to the living room. He luckily had the tray put down before an orange topped blur slammed into him with a cry of 'Kurosaki-kun' toppling the both of them onto the ground. Landing with a groan, he patted Orihime's head with a pained smile.

"Orihime, really, you need to stop jumping people like that. You never know who the person is dating after all," he teased, wheezing slightly with just how tight the arms around his chest were.

"Oh, yes I suppose I should," Orihime squeaked as Sado reached down and used her hoodie as a way to pull her off of their friend and set her on her feet. "Thank you, Sado," she chirped, Ichigo groaning and slowly hauling himself up and off of the floor. He waved at the rest of his friends, smiling slightly at the fact that they had indeed grown up quite a bit as their pictures told him.

Outside of his goatee, Sado hadn't changed much. He was still bit and strong, dark skinned, haired and eyed, and one of the gentlest giants that Ichigo knew. Mizuiro was slightly taller than Ichigo himself, his hair neatly trimmed and curling around his rather handsome face, the color still a weird mix of blue and black while his eyes were still ever changing. Tatsuki had actually let her hair grow out and she had come into a set of gentle curves that worked on her body seeing as she was still a fighter through and through. Keigo had also grown into a handsome young man, his brown hair falling straight now instead of flipping outwards, making Ichigo sigh softly as Sado patted his back.

"Man, where has the time gone," he groaned, rubbing at one shoulder that felt like someone had smacked it and smacked it hard.

"You moved so we had to do something in our spare time," Tatsuki snorted, the tone teasing and gentle. "Though we have missed you. Computers screens aren't as good as the real thing," she said, walking over to her friend and hugging him tight, Ichigo returned it with a smile on his lips. He went through each of his friends, greeting them and getting a hug, smacking Keigo when he tried to do more than that, and warning him that his companion wouldn't like him getting groped by anyone but him.

That bit of news had everyone begging to meet the mysterious boyfriend, with Ichigo protesting that William was far from a boy, so the term was rather juvenile considering who it was. He was still told to gather the Grim Reaper so they could meet him.

Ichigo caved after a few moments of the girls asking him to get him with what he termed 'deadly kitten eyes' from the both of them. How Tatsuki had ever learned that he would never quite know, even as he drew William away from his work for a short time, the Grim Reaper giving him an indulgent look as he was smiled at by his partner.

"I am still busy, Ichigo," he chuckled as he was lead down the stairs by a smiling Ichigo. He chuckled when the younger male just flashed him an amused smile and shook his head.

"We both know that you'll do anything for me within reason. Well, my friends are demanding that I drag you down from your work to let them meet you," Ichigo stated, making William chuckle once more.

"And tell me why they aren't demanding that they meet our resident demons?" he asked, poking Ichigo in the back and getting scowled at for it before they walked into the living room.

"Because we met them already. They came in and left before Ichigo went up to get you," Tatsuki replied, smirking at the man and running her eyes over him in a thoughtful look. "Damn, Ichigo, you landed a nice one," she chuckled before sitting on the couch with Orihime, the bubbly red head smiling at William, who was gazing at them with a bored look.

"I didn't start dating him just because he's good looking," Ichigo stated, taking his tea cup from Sado and sitting down on the new love seat with William. "I started dating him because he was nice to me and not once has he tried to push for anything other than what I want."

"That and I waited until you were technically old enough to consent no matter where we went," William stated, placing his arm over the back of the couch and playing with a bit of his partner's hair. "Ciel and Sebastian did ask that of me but I was planning on that fact anyways."

"So how long have you two been together officially?" Keigo asked, leaning on the back of the couch behind Mizuiro, who was staring at the couple with curious eyes.

"Ah…officially about…six months I believe," William mused, looking down to Ichigo and getting a nod. "Yes, about six months. But we have been out on dates before and been to various functions and parties together. I was there at his graduation and we both went to a ball that Ciel had to attend about a week and a half before we came here actually."

"So it sounds as if you have been waiting for a while for him to come of age," Mizuiro hummed, smiling slightly when William nodded his head. "Good. I'm glad that you were willing to do so. It's not often that someone is able and willing to wait, no matter the reason or who it is."

"I had time," William chuckled before he stood with a smile and a nod. "I must get going though. I do have paperwork to finish off before tonight, unfortunately. I shall leave you to your visit," he continued before nodding his head at the group and laying a kiss on the corner of Ichigo's lips before leaving the living room.

Smiling after him, Ichigo turned to his friends, his face smoothing out into something of a serious look as he leant forward to place his tea cup onto the table. "So, tell me about our dear Quincy, Uryuu Ishida."

"What exactly do you want to know?" Orihime asked, blinking a few times at her friend. They had known that he had grown up, changed in a lot of ways, but to see it with their own two eyes was a little different than seeing it over a computer screen.

"I want to know all that you know about him and then I am hoping to actually meet with him, face to face and without a school desk or a school trip forcing us together," Ichigo drawled, waving one hand. "A little something that I never told you guys is that my mother wasn't just a normal, everyday human. She too was a Quincy and had once even saved my father during his time as a Shinigami," he stated, shrugging one shoulder. "Ciel and Sebastian told me all of this though when I was finally able to ask without breaking down."

"Why didn't you ever tell us?" Mizuiro asked, tugging Keigo back down when he went to jump up.

"There are just some things that you can't talk about over such an open line, demonically enhanced to be supremely protected or not," Ichigo stated, waving a hand with a smile on his lips. "You just never know who can be listening in on our conversations. At least here, behind these wards, we know that we're protected," he chuckled, pointing to a subtly placed and hidden warding seal that Sebastian had created the night before.

Orihime hummed and stood up, staring at the sheer craftsmanship and smiling softly at the fact that it was better than anything she had come across in all of her training and education in the last few years. She had to admit that she would love to learn from the demon who posed as a butler and was taking care of their Ichigo so well.

"So, you want to know about Ishida-san right?" Orihime asked, turning around and smiled brightly as Ichigo smirked and nodded his head. "Alright, so as you know, he is a Quincy…"


	17. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 17

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 17

Characters: Ichigo, William, Ciel, Urahara, Zangetsu, Sebastian

Word count: 1,630

Warnings: Nothing

AN: Wow, you guys. Yes, this is order. Why? Because I'm traveling tomorrow to head up to an authors fair where I can learn and see other authors. :D Yay! Yes, yay! So I'm posting this now because I won't be able to tomorrow. :P I'll be busy on Friday, traveling and then doing a meet and greet. So that'll be fun times.

Just know that I hope you all enjoy and I shall answer reviews the moment I can. *hugs*

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"It's kind of interesting that his soul clothing is not the usual shihakusho that the Shinigami wear," Urahara mused as he waved his fan before his face. He smiled slightly at the men that sat next to him as Ichigo worked with Zangetsu on training his abilities and powers.

They had forced Ichigo out of his body rather easily, the exiled man stating that it was as if his soul was meant to slip free of anything that would bind it down. From there, it had only been a few minutes before he had unlocked his power, his training with the Grim Reapers helping in that aspect. Once they had done that, Ichigo had taken his zanpactou, the large cleaver like weapon glinting in the light, and slipped it into the tenshintai that he had created for the purpose of continuing his own training.

Zangetsu had appeared, looking a bit on the youngish side, no older then 25, and with a white streak in his hair that he said represented the broken part of Ichigo's soul. They had asked him about it, and he had said that it would have formed into a hollow if not for the fact that Ichigo had spent the last few years healing and training and getting past the hurts of the past. If he hadn't healed as much as he had, that piece of his soul would have broken off, and with his powers they way they were, he would have gained a hollow that would have fought him every step of the way.

But now, with those who cared for him and who he cared for in return, he had found a path that had allowed him the freedom of being himself and allowing him to heal those old hurts.

All of that had warmed everyone there, knowing that they had helped in his healing. Ichigo had mused that getting away from where the memories resided had allowed him to look at them without them being shoved into his face. Ciel had to agree that was probably the reason, having left England for nearly a decade when he and his mate had been able to escape to finish healing and moving past his own history.

Urahara hummed softly, breaking into the thoughts of the group as he snapped his fan closed. "Really, really strange," he drawled, Ciel chuckling next to him as Sebastian sipped at some of the sake that the man had provided.

"Not so strange when you consider that he is exposed daily to the powers of demons and Grim reapers. It is bound to have an effect on his very being, including how his soul is clothed. It's actually a rather nice outfit," Ciel stated, saluting Urahara with a smile on his lips. "That and he does have a fashion sense," he continued, the group turning to gaze at Ichigo as he soared through the air in a back flip before landing and pushing forward, Zangetsu coming to meet him in a crash of power.

Ichigo's outfit was a mix of a mandarin shirt with a pair of tighter pants that fell into a boot cut. The rich, dark blue shirt came to the young males knees, splitting up the sides to just above his waist. A long obi like sash the color of liquid gold sat around his waist, hiding just how high the slits went and tying in the back in a simple bow that now hid a few rather useful items from Yoruichi that Ichigo could wield in the Soul Society.

On the bottom part of the shirt was the clan symbol for the Shiba clan, something that had changed from the original since Isshin had left. Fireworks that formed a blooming lily had become the clan symbol when Kukaku had taken over as head of the family, or so Urahara had told them when they asked about the only marking on the otherwise normal looking top.

Urahara smiled once more and nodded his head. "Yes, so I see," he chuckled before picking up his own sake bottle and pouring himself a saucer of it with a smile. "So, tell me, you wish to know about Isshin's full past yes? You have what they told you, which is the basics, but not all of it yes?" he asked, Sebastian nodding his head.

"Yes, they told us enough to prompt us into having a friend watch them for when they died so that the Seireitei could not get them. We do not know what they would allow to happen should that have happened," Sebastian stated, talking about the missing Grim Reaper, Undertaker. The man was setting up shop somewhere, having said something about needing a secondary base and a quick way out should they need it.

Grell sat forward, having been quiet the entire time as he watched Ichigo train. "Doesn't his movements look quite a bit like a Grim Reapers," he drawled, sending a look to William, who just returned it with a dry one of his own. "Almost as if he was made to be one," he teased, dodging the swipe at his head with a wide, shark toothed grin.

"It isn't as if we haven't trained and sparred with one another," William stated, shrugging one shoulder. "And Grim Reapers and Shinigami are part of the same interconnected world. We just patrol different parts of the world and do things in different ways due to the way the power flows in those areas of the world. Here in Japan, the power is much more spiritually based while in say, England for example, is much more physically based, or rather based in nature instead of the spiritual world," he continued, remembering his history lesson.

Grell wrinkled his nose as Sebastian and Ciel chuckled, Urahara looking interested in that. "You just had to be a brainiac. How Ichigo deals with you, I will never know," he huffed.

"I deal with him just fine," Ichigo huffed, plopping down and taking the water bottle that Urahara handed him. Draining it, he sighed and slowly stretched his body as Zangetsu settled down next to him, declining anything from them. "Anyways, I thought I heard that you were going to talk about my father and his past in detail right?" he asked, tilting his head with a curious look.

"Indeed we were," Urahara chirped, smiling at them and tapped his fan on the palm of one hand. "As you all know, Isshin was a shinigami, one that left the Seireitei to be with your mother, Ichigo. He was the taicho of the Tenth Division with Rangiku Matsumoto as his fukutaicho and Toshiro Hitsugaya, the current taicho, as his third seat. When he met your mother, he had gone out on a run to the human world to deal with a problematic hollow that was giving everyone a migraine since it seemed rather slippery."

"I believe that dad ended up killing it but was injured at that time wasn't he?" Ichigo asked, swiping another bottle of water from where Urahara had hidden them, sipping at that one instead of chugging it down.

"That's right. In the course of his fight, he was injured, quite heavily and unable to get any help. At that time I was just moving into Karakura, and was setting up my shop, so I was unable to get to him but luckily for him, he was saved by Masaki-chan. She had felt the surges of power and had stayed out of the way before moving to help him when he had collapsed. From there, she took care of him enough for him to get back to Seireitei and turn in his report," Urahara stated, smiling lightly. "After that, he came back to Karakura often, just to see her and they fell in love. It was quite adorable really."

"I've seen the pictures from that time. Masaki made a lovely bride," William hummed, Grell pouting at the fact that the other had probably seen the pictures before he had.

"Sebastian and I were able to witness it. We weren't there officially but we did witness the marriage. Then we got to learn just who Isshin was," Ciel said, nodding his head with a smile. "It was quite amusing for us when he learned that his wife had a special demon deal in place, not having expected her tendencies towards saving people to extend to demons."

"Especially high level demons," Ichigo teased, chuckling before he stood once more with a groan. "If you'll excuse me, I must get back to working on my training if I'm expected to kick taicho level ass if it comes down to it," he stated, standing up and brushing off his clothes with a smile. Winking, he went back to sparring with his zanpactou, Zangetsu having just listened to them talk.

Sebastian chuckled once more and refilled his and Ciel's saucers with a smile. "At least he shows the stubbornness and work ethic of his mother towards training and learning as he did with everything else in life," he chuckled, the others smirking and nodding in agreement.

"I think I shall have to introduce the Vizards to our dear Ichigo," Urahara chuckled, getting curious looks from everyone. "They will be very interested in how things go in Soul Society and very interested in our dear one."

"Just as long as they keep their paws to themselves, I don't care what happens," William stated, glaring at the hat wearing male, eyes narrowed.

"I'll make sure that they do," Urahara promised, already knowing that it would be his balls in a vice should one of them fuck with Ichigo at any point or time.


	18. Whisper to Me 18

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 18

Characters: Rukia, Ichigo

Word count: 1,680

Warnings: Nothing

AN: I swear that these things are getting to be a pain in editing. *sighs* But so very worth it for all of the lovely, lovely reviews, kudos, subscriptions/watches, and the such. Thanks you guys.

And the reason why I didn't post on Monday? I had just gotten back from the Payson Book Fair, my sinus' had drained, and my throat felt like sandpaper. I didn't have enough focus to properly post on my sites so you get two things for the price of one.

Sorry about that you guys and I hope you enjoy.

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Walking down the park pathways, Ichigo smiled softly to himself at the memories of having taken his sisters down some of the very paths that he was strolling along. He had felt the young shinigami that he was looking for reitsu flare for a bit before disappearing once more. He had left Sado soon after the flare, knowing that he could cover the needed ground quickly. But he also knew that he wanted to take his time in walking, not wanting to spook her before he could talk with her.

Feeling the ice tinged reiryoku flare once more, Ichigo hummed and tilted his head to the side, heading that way, coming to stop just inside a set of trees where a little clearing sat, a small woman dispatching a hollow with the ease of long practice. As the creature dissolved, he chuckled softly before sticking his hands into his hoody pockets with a frown on his lips. She was good with her moves and well versed in using her zanpactou along with the kido that she had used to distract the hollow.

Urahara was right: despite her apparent overly protective older brother, Rukia was well versed in working in the Living World. Ichigo stepped out into the clearing and waited for her to notice him, his power leaking out just enough to be noticeable without drawing any new hollows to them. He counted as he waited for her to notice, getting to twenty-five seconds when she whipped around, making him sigh softly.

"I've been here for more than a minute and leaking power for nearly 30 seconds. Your response time is slow," Ichigo drawled, Rukia holding up her zanpactou and making him sigh softly. "No need for that now. I'm not here to hurt you or to do anything like that," he stated, waving a hand before his face as he walked over to a bench and sat down. "I'm actually here to just chat with you. I'm sure that you know Kisuke Urahara," he hummed, smiling slightly at her as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"I do. How do you know him," she asked, pointing her zanpactou down but still not sheathing it yet, unsure as to how to react to the young human male that obviously could see her quite well.

"He's my godfather actually," Ichigo chuckled, smiling softly and shrugging one shoulder. "My name is Ichigo. Yours, I believe is Rukia Kuchiki, correct?" he asked, the pretty female nodding her head, gray eyes narrowing. He smiled and noted that she was indeed colored like what he had been told the Kuchiki clan was. Black hair and gray eyes were set against pale skin, her limbs slim and bird like but holding power in the frail limbs.

"That's correct," she said, sliding her zanpactou into her sheath and moving closer to him, taking in the fiery hair that was softened by sun bleached blond streaks that mixed in amongst the fire easily. She noted that he didn't just have brown eyes, but eyes that were like the dark butterscotch that her brother enjoyed on occasion. They swirled and gazed at her, power and confidence shining subtly from them and from his very being.

He knew he had power, knew how to use it and wasn't going to use it against anyone unless they gave him reason to. She came to stand closer to him but not close enough to be threatening or be threatened. His lips quirked upwards into an amused look.

"So, tell me, Rukia-san, how long have you been in Karakura, working on the hollow population?" he asked, crossing his legs. There was something all together too elegant about the young male before her, as if he was trained to never waste a single movement, to always keep them smooth and simple. It as if he had been trained beyond what any normal fighting training could teach, almost as if he had been trained specifically in how to move. It was subtle but it was almost as if he had been trained to be a clan member and how to move as such.

She remembered getting the same training when she had been adopted by the Kuchiki clan, but it seemed that it sat better with the male before her.

"Nearly three years actually. I arrived just after the deaths of a family," Rukia admitted, shifting on her feet at the sadness that flashed across the face before her. "I was told to look for their souls but I haven't seen them since I started."

"That's because they were picked up by a Grim Reaper," Ichigo stated, the woman before him jerking and staring at him with wide eyes.

"How did you learn that?" she asked, Ichigo smiling and shaking his head.

"I'll probably tell you one of these days, Rukia-san, when I think that I can trust you," he chuckled, shaking his head and smoothing a hand down his thigh to smooth down his jeans. "For now though, know that you're not going to learn just who I am beyond what I tell you. And not even Urahara is going to tell you no matter how much you ask him," Ichigo warned, eyes flashing just a bit with promise.

"Why are you here then?" Rukia asked, frowning heavily at the man before her, getting a low chuckle from Ichigo.

"I'm here to ask you a few things about Soul Society. To be more precise, about the Seireitei and its inner workings from your point of view," Ichigo stated, smiling and shrugging one shoulder. "You see, there are things going on that I know about but before I can work to do anything about it, I need to know what is going on right now from the view point of someone who doesn't see all the rot that is lingering under the pretty facade," he continued.

Rukia blinked a few times before opening her mouth and then snapping it shut, uncertain as to what to say to Ichigo that wouldn't be a complete lie. She knew something was going on in the Seireitei but she could never quite figure out what it was. It was like there was a whole world that she couldn't see but feel. "What do you want to know?" she finally asked.

Ichigo smiled and leant forward, arms resting on his cross knees. "I want to know what you see, Rukia-san. I want to know what you hear. Don't be shy in telling me. I won't be using this against you but rather against those who need this information used against them." Rukia gazed at Ichigo for a few more minutes before nodding her head.

She walked over and sat down next to him, holding her zanpactou over her lap, stroking the sheath with a thoughtful expression on her face as she told him all about the soutaicho, Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto; about her brother, Byakuya Kuchiki and how he took her in when she was in her second year of the academy. She told him about the other captains and about those who creeped her out in so many ways when she had to go in and turn her reports in.

He learned about Sosuke Aizen, the taicho of the Fifth Division, and of Gin Ichimaru, taicho of the Third division, and how they could often be found with each other.

She told him about how things had been going in the Seireitei, how it had gotten to a point where the Twelfth division had almost been shut down but hadn't been. Instead, the soutaicho had ordered every member of the twelfth evaluated in all aspects, every building inspected and everything that wasn't allowed to be confiscated and destroyed. How file after file after file had been taken away and hidden in the dairetshoaiko so that no one could get to it without the proper access.

How she knew that something bigger was going on but no one was talking about it but every shinigami was being scrutinized after the shit with the Twelfth divisions fuck up How each division had their people evaluated, even those who worked in the First Division. She was worried about what was going to happen next, what would happen to the people that worked and helped the Soul Society stay calm.

She also told him about the Rukigon districts and how they looked, how the people lived and died in them. She told him about her own childhood and her own life. She told him everything, feeling as if a weight was sliding off of her with every word.

And the entire time, Ichigo just listened with a small smile on his lips, encouraging her to talk, encouraging her to tell him everything he would need to do his job in Soul Society. When she was done, he stood up and brushed off the ass of his pants, spotting Sebastian and William standing in the shadows, knowing that they were waiting for him.

"How about we meet again?" he asked, tilting his head with a smile on his lips. "We have much that I think we must speak about and not a whole lot of time to do so. Here, call this number when you have some time and we'll set up a place to meet," he said, pulling out a piece of paper with his cell phone number, handing it to her.

"I would…like that," Rukia said, smiling and tucking the paper away. She watched as he walked up to two men that didn't feel like any human or shinigami she had ever met in her lifetime. She had to blink as Ichigo smiled sweetly and leant up slightly to kiss the shorted haired man that wore a pair of glasses, the man sliding an arm around his waist.

"Let's go home," Ichigo said, his voice carrying on the wind before the three men disappeared into the shadows without another word, leaving Rukia to her thoughts and her duty.


	19. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 19

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 19

Characters: Grell, Ryuuken, Uryu, Ichigo

Word count:

Warnings: None

AN: This chapter kind of hints and talks about a history that is actually put out there in future chapters. It does rather help the main story in the long run and you'll see why in the second arc of the story.

For now, enjoy.

* * *

"I was wondering when you were coming back." Ichigo looked up from the gravestones of his family, fingers brushing over Yuzu's name as he came to look at Ryuuken and Uryuu Ishida.

"I could have sworn that it was a school day," Ichigo drawled as he stood up from his slightly crouched position. "And that you were still a part of said school days," he continued, pointing to Uryuu with one finger.

"I am, Kurosaki, but I had a physical exam and father decided to keep me out for the rest of the day," Uryuu drawled, eyes narrowed as he wondered just why he was there with his father. He knew that the other was somehow related to them but beyond that they barely knew each other, They hadn't ever talked with each other when Ichigo had been going to the same school as he had beyond the occasional project or emergency ride from his father.

"I see," Ichigo chuckled, standing up straight and brushing his pants off with a smile. He tilted his head to the side and looked to where Grell was perched in a tree, filing a nail and giving him time to visit with family, both living and dead. Turning back to the two Ishida's, he cocked an eyebrow. "So, what can I do for you, Ishida-san?" he asked, gazing at Ryuuken with a curious look.

"I was told that you were in town again. It seems that the case of your families murder has been labeled a cold case," Ryuuken stated. Despite having lost touch with his cousin when they had been young and going down different paths, he still kept tabs on her and her family. This included the murder of her husband and two girls, which had left her son alone and taken in by someone that no one had known about until that moment. He had kept in touch with the detective that had been handed the case and had found out that the man had to put it on the back burner for the time being since there were no new leads.

Ichigo hummed and shook his head with a slight smile on his lips. "I know who killed them, or at least have an idea of who killed them. I just need to get to the Seireitei to get that information," he said, Ryuuken and Uryuu staring at him in hidden surprise at the fact that he knew about that world. "I'm sure you remember my mother, Ishida-san. After all, she was your cousin, making me your second cousin," he chuckled, shrugging one shoulder.

"So you know about your mother's history then," Ryuuken asked, getting a nod from the younger male as he walked over to a stone bench and sat down. "Did your parents tell you about her history or did your guardians?" he asked.

"Ciel and Sebastian told me actually. They were the ones that told me just who my father and mother had been and helped me get as far in my investigation and training as they could," Ichigo replied, Ryuuken and Uryuu sitting with him.

"What does he mean? He's a cousin?" Uryuu asked, raising an eyebrow at his father, slightly narrowing his eyes behind is glasses.

"Yes. My second cousin actually. His mother was a Quincy once upon a time," Ryuuken hummed, eyes flitting to Masaki's gravestone. Uryuu's eyebrows rose at that, having never known that fact seeing as his grandfather hadn't talked about most of their family and had hidden away most of their names to protect them. "I grew up with her but we separated and didn't keep as much contact as I should have when I started going to medical school and she took over watching over Karakura when she could. I never did contact her family, not thinking that they would know about Hollows and Plus's and the such," he admitted, shrugging one shoulder.

"My father was a shinigami actually," Ichigo chuckled, smiling slightly. "He gave it all up for her after they had met after she saved him from a hollow that had gotten in a lucky hit actually," he continued, running a hand through his hair. "Then I was born and they both stopped patrolling when more than one Shinigami was assigned to Karakura, taking care of me and later, my sisters. Then of course, things happened and my mother died when I was six, and later, my sisters and father were killed on the orders of someone that I have yet to find out."

"How did you discover all of this?" Uryuu asked, leaning his elbows on his knees, eyebrows furrowed heavily as Ichigo sighed softly.

"Again, I learned most of it because of my guardians. Ciel Phantomhive and Sebastian Michaelis are both demons who my mother also saved once upon a time. They gave her a special deal that she could call upon when she needed them for something important, something big," Ichigo sighed, rubbing at the spot that his own mark sat. "I now carry that deal, a life for a life kind of thing at first, but now…Well even demons can come to care about someone with enough time after all. And they did care for my mother after a bit of time, and their caring carried over to myself and the twins when we were born. When I lost them, I was taken in by them and they have helped me in the last three years or so to grow, to heal, and to become stronger in all things," he continued, standing up and shoving his hands into his hoodie pockets.

"So what are you doing back here if your life is so good to you now?" Uryuu asked, raising an eyebrow with some skepticism.

"I'm here to stop the ones that hurt me and hurt you at one time from doing so again," Ichigo stated, smirking at the two Quincy's who were staring at him with surprised looks on their faces. "Urahara-san and Yourichi-san have both been helping Ciel and Sebastian to gain the needed information and they're now helping me get to the ones who have hurt so many," he continued. He smiled slightly as he brushed one hand through his hair with a hum once more. "I don't expect you to help if that's what you're wondering."

"I am wondering just why you wanted to contact us," Ryuuken said, fixing his glasses as Ichigo stared at the sky with thoughtful expression on his face.

"You two are my only living family and I wanted to get to know my mother's side of the family. None of the others ever wanted to stay in contact with us, calling the family an abomination to the natural state of things," he continued, sighing softly as a bit of sadness flitted over his face. "I know that there is a high chance that I will fully die, that my soul will break away from my body completely, and I will be unable to do anything until I finish my training under the Grim Reapers."

"So you wanted to talk with us before you go to do what you need to do," Uryuu stated, Ichigo nodding his head and turning to look at them with a thoughtful look. "I suppose the least that we can do is get to know you and help you train. I think you probably have some abilities from your mother?" he asked.

"Yes, some. I can't manifest a bow yet, but if I'm careful I can take my power and create something akin to arrows," he admitted, shrugging one shoulder.

Ryuuken mused and took Ichigo's hand, gazing at it and the calluses that were there, forming from years of weapons practice, but still soft. "It is because you don't have a proper conduct with which to focus your power," he stated, stroking the thin wrist with a smile, knowing already what Quincy cross he would be giving to his young cousin. A long time ago, Masaki had entrusted him with a special cross that she had said she had felt the need to make, and now he knew why it had been him who had to hold it. Had to keep it safe.

"So, what am I to do to get said conduct?" Ichigo asked, looking every bit his mother in that moment, an amused look on his face.

"I have a cross that was made for you by your mother in my care. I believe that I shall teach you how to use that part of your power, should you ever need to use it," Ryuuken stated, Uryuu staring at him in shock.

"Father?" he questioned softly, blinking a few times at the man before shaking his head. "I will help you."

"So…you can tell that my powers are separate yet the same huh?" Ichigo asked, chuckling softly as the two Quincy's sniffed at the same time and shook his head. "Alright. All the training that I can get will only help me in the long run," he hummed, sliding his hands into his hoody pockets again with a smile. "So, when do we start?" he asked.

"As soon as you introduce your stalker up there," Ryuuken stated, pointing to Grell, who just pouted down at them and sniffed.

"I am not a stalker," Grell whined as he hopped down from his tree limb and walked over to the three males with an insulted look. "I'm a friend, and a Grim Reaper, Mr. Ishida. I'm also here to make sure that Ichigo doesn't get hurt any time soon."

"Hey!" Ichigo protested, pouting at his friend.


	20. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 20

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 20

Characters: William, Ichigo

Word count: 1,627

Warnings: Lead up to an actual sex scene

AN: So yes, this is well and truly late, I know. For those of you who have read my other mini story AN, this will be a repeat.

I am fine. I promise. I went to the hospital early Saturday morning (about 4) due to issues with a new pain killer that I had been prescribed. It was supposed to be a nice medium between my lightest pain killer and my heavy hitter, but instead it sent me to the hospital with a reaction.

I now have an anti-nausea and unhappy gut muscles. I'm doing better though. I was dehydrated because I couldn't drink anything without setting my stomach off, so I did have an IV hooked up to me. Where as it should take about two hours if they're not pushing it, it took me about an hour to get the drip into my system.

That tells ya something. But I promise I am FINE now and that I hope you enjoy this new story. Hugs and cookies to all!

* * *

Grell was watching his charge smooth his hair down with a flat iron, taking care to not linger too long on the locks so as to not burn them. "You make me think that sometimes you're more of a girl than I am," he snorted.

Ichigo sneered at his friend as he continued to smooth his hair down. "And considering you're as much of a girl as you can get without the working parts? I'll take that as an insult," he huffed, getting a pout from his friend.

"So hurtful," Grell whined, tossing a rather small hair tie at his friend before going back to braiding his hair in small braids. Ichigo snorted and finished with his hair, spraying a light amount of hair spray onto his hair before brushing it through to make sure that it wouldn't feel sticky or stiff for the rest of the night.

"No I'm not," Ichigo huffed, smiling at his friend, eyes soft as Grell smiled back at him, the look edged with teeth.

"True, true," Grell hummed as he continued to braid his hair and Ichigo moved behind a changing screen to pull on his outfit for his date for that night. William had asked him out to dinner and dancing, saying that they had both been working much too hard for the last two weeks and deserved some time out. Ichigo had agreed and they had set the date for Friday seeing as most people would be at home and go out the next day, meaning that they could get around without being bugged.

Pulling on a simple, dark gray, long sleeved shirt that teased at what was under it, he pulled on a pair of black jeans, wiggling into the worn soft fabric. Coming back from around the changing screen, he smiled at the soft whistle from his friend, shaking his head and checking his hair to make sure that it hadn't been mussed from his dressing. Once that was done, he smiled and pulled out the belt that went with the outfit, sliding the slim dark gray belt through the loops before securing the simple buckle, making sure that it was set in the right spot. Smoothing his shirt down over the top of his pants, barely covering the top of them, he sat down and found his shoes, humming softly.

"I guess it's been so long since I've had to worry about putting my shoes off and on at the door that it seems kind of odd, yet the same, doing that," he hummed, wiggling his foot as he stared at his house shoes that he had brought with him from England. "I actually kind of miss the mansion. And my flowers."

"We can get some new flowers for over here," Grell promised as someone knocked on the door firmly. "Sounds like your date is ready for you," he purred, getting smirked at by Ichigo.

"You're just jealous that I have a date," he cooed, opening the door to William and smiling at the fact that the man was wearing a pair of jeans instead of his usual slacks. "You look good," Ichigo hummed, taking his partner's hand and leaving Grell snorting on the bed, still braiding his hair with quick, easy movements.

"Thank you. As always, so do you," William hummed, drawing Ichigo down the stairs and to the front hall where they traded their house shoes for their chosen shoes of the night. "I am borrowing Ciel's car since yours is so low on gas at the moment. Sebastian will be going to get some more gas in the morning since he plans on using yours to go shopping in."

"Why can't they use theirs?" Ichigo asked as they walked to the small car, Ichigo's eyes taking it in and sighing at the trunk. It was one of the higher quality electric that ran solely on a charge, but with a few tweaks by Sebastian so it ran longer. Ciel was quite happy with that fact but still, the trunk was rather small with how much Sebastian had to buy food wise. "Never mind. Just forget I asked," he snorted as William opened his door and helped him into it.

He looked to his own car and smiled at the fact that it was the same one that his father had owned. It was rather large for a car in Japan but had been outfitted so that it was a hybrid car that ran on both electricity and gas. As long as the car drove, it would produce electricity to help the gas last longer but he was running low on it since he had taken both Ishida and Sado to look at Karakura College that sat on the other side of town.

"Indeed," William chuckled, drawing Ichigo out of his thoughts and turning on the car with a smooth purr of power before pulling out of the driveway and turning down the street. It wasn't long before they were at a quiet little hole in the wall that mostly served tourists, but also locals that wanted something homemade and fresh. Sitting at the table, the two smiled and ordered their food before accepting their tea with nods.

"I used to come here with my father and sisters," Ichigo shared after getting a look from William at the fact that the co-owner and wife of the main owner had known him at first ight as she took their orders. "We used to do it whenever we could, which was nearly about once a week unless it was times for finals or a busy time for the clinic and hospitals," he continued, picking up his tea and tasting it with a hum of pleasure. "They make some of the best food around for such a small place and make a killing during the weekends. They're quite popular."

"So I can tell," William chuckled, lacing their fingers together and rubbing at the back of his knuckles under the table, getting a soft look from his companion. "I see why you wanted to come now. We'll have to come here any time that we have some time to get away from everything," he said, Ichigo beaming brightly at him.

"Ahh, it's been a long time since I've seen you smile like that, Ichigo-chan," the wife of the owner cooed as she walked up to them, patting Ichigo on the head with a smile. "Your food will be here soon," she promised before shuffling off to take a new order, leaving the two companions smiling in amusement after her.

"I have a question that I think I can pick your brain about," Ichigo finally said, tasting the tea with another hum, squeezing William's hand once more.

"What about?" William asked as they unlaced their fingers and he rested his elbows onto the table with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"I know you've seen the way Uryuu and Ryuuken react to each other, how they act and talk with each other," Ichigo hummed, playing with his tea cup, nodding to the woman with a smile when she placed a plate of snacks down on the table. "There's something…it's not quite antagonistic, at least not on Ryuuken's part, but bitter. Sad."

"Did you ever talk with Ryuuken about that?" William asked, knowing that the two had often talked, picking up one of the snacks and nibbling upon it.

Ichigo hummed and nodding. "A little," he said, shaking his head with a sigh of displeasure. "He says it comes from his father, Uryuu's grandfather actually. At least that's what he said," he continued, swirling his cup before him with a frown. "It almost sounds as if his training wasn't anything like Uryuu's with his father. More…"

"Intense? Or more hurtful?" William asked, raising an eyebrow before narrowing his eyes. "I can find his book if you want? We usually take the Quincy souls so we should have his books somewhere," he offered, Ichigo thinking before shaking his head.

"Nah, I'll wait until he decides to tell me or Uryuu. I think that it's something that needs to come out eventually to fix things between him and Uryuu though," he said, tapping the side of his cup with his fingers before shrugging. "Thank you for the offer though, William," Ichigo hummed, leaning against his partner.

"Not a problem," William said, stroking a hand over Ichigo's soft hair as their dinner arrived. After they ate, they left for the club, one that had been chosen for its mixture of different types of music that they both enjoyed. Once they had grabbed their drinks, non-alcoholic for both men seeing as they didn't want the alcohol to bother their night together, they found a spot on the dance floor near a free table and started to dance. Slow and fast, pressed together and set apart, they just enjoyed the music, often taking breaks to just rest and talk with each other at their table.

As the time edged nearer to midnight, Ichigo pressed against William's side, lips brushing against the other's ear as he said, "Let's go home, yeah? There's something else I want to do tonight before we get too tired for it." William swallowed heavily, eyes barely widening before he looked down to warm brown eyes that glowed with desire.

Smirking, the Grim Reaper stood and tucked his soon to be lover's hand into his elbow and drew him away from the table and out into the cool night air. They were soon on their way home, Ichigo hoping that Sebastian had gotten around to putting up the silencing wards in his room.


	21. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 22

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 22

Characters: Ryuuken

Word count: 1,456

Warnings: Emotional abuse/battering, past

AN: This one hurt to write. I had to explain why it was there was such a rift since, as far as my knowledge, there was no real explanation. So here you go. Have some feels.

* * *

He played with his cigarette pack for a moment before tapping one out of the long white sticks, taking in the faintly minty scent of it as he stuck it between his lips. Scraping a match across the scratch pad of the match pack's back, he lit the cigarette and drew in a deep breath before letting it out with a slow breath, eyes closed as he dropped the match into the ash tray. The taste of it and the flush of nicotine through his system made him relax slowly as he opened his eyes to stare out of his apartment over downtown Karakura.

He turned from the window and gazed at the glinting Quincy focus that sat in its box, the elegant lines and delicate look of it something that still amazed him every time he gazed upon it. Masaki had created it when she had been young, no more than a teenager really, using specialized metal that was infused with her own spiritual power. The very same power that ran through her eldest child, the only child that still lived.

Swallowing at the thought of the two girls that had died because of a plot that had been contrived by the hidden underworld of Seireitei and Soul Society, he rubbed at his face before taking another drag of his cigarette. Tapping the ash off of the tip of it, he moved away from the window and stroked over the Quincy cross with a hum. It looked much like some of the Celtic crosses that he often saw the younger generation mixing and matching with their outfits but the bottom part of the cross was pointed downwards in something that looked like a knife. The design on it looked like ribbon that twined together while the traditional circle only circled the top half of the cross.

It screamed Ichigo and the way he was making him smile at the sight of his cousin's personality coming from such a delicate focus. He would give it to Ichigo in a few days when his training in his Quincy abilities started.

Shaking his head, his lips pulling into a frown as he gazed at a smaller, five point starred Quincy cross that he had made for his own child but had never given him, Ryuuken sighed and sat down in his chair. His legs stretched out before him. He picked up the cross and stroked his fingers over it, doubting that his child would ever care to receive it from him. He knew that Uryu preferred the one that his grandfather had made him when he had needed a new focus.

He doubted that his child would ever want the focus that he created since they had such a huge rift between them. Ryuuken supposed that was his fault considering how he had felt about the relationship between him and Souken. But to see his father treat his grandson like the most precious of children when he had treated his own son as a thing to be trained and used had hurt. Deeply.

Taking a deep breath, he let it out after a few minutes, eyes closing as he brought his cigarette back to his mouth and stuck it between his lips. Dragging in a stream of smoke before letting it loose, he picked up the cross and stroked over the delicate lines that crisscrossed and curled around together.

"Ah, but how to tell your child that his loving grandfather was a bastard to his disappointment of a son?" Ryuuken snorted, shaking his head with a grunt, glaring at the one picture of his father that he still had. It was the one picture that he had actually consented to having and only because Masaki was a part of the picture too.

Standing up once more, he pulled the cigarette out of his mouth and snuffed it harshly in the ashtray next to him before stalking to the window once more.

He had few happy memories from his childhood, and they consisted of Masaki after they started to train with each other. Every other moment that he could remember through his childhood and life had been filled with training, studying and physical sparring that had left him bruised and battered. And all with that quiet disappointment that radiated from his father the entire time tinting the air around him.

It had left more of a mark on Ryuuken then having a hollow claw him hard enough on his side to incapacitate him for weeks at a time had. His father had played the doting and worried father in public and in front of those that helped to take care of him, but once behind doors, Souken had been quite unhappy with him and how he had been wounded by a Hollow.

Especially one that Souken considered weak and one that his child could have taken easily if needed, despite the fact that they had a shaky treaty at the time with the Shinigami of Karakura about being a first line offense. Ryuuken's training had gotten worse after that, to the point where he had lost sleep to keep up with the rest of his life so he could make it seem like nothing was wrong.

It had been when he had collapsed in the middle of class one day that the teachers had gotten hissy about him losing sleep and food. His father had backed off but still the training had been hard and trying.

When he had turned 18 and left for college, Masaki having long lost contact with them to protect both of them for whatever reason, Ryuuken had felt freedom for the first time. He had then married Katagiri, a female Quincy who had been a Gemischt Quincy, or half blood Quincy, to his Echt Quincy, or pure blood. She had given him Uryu but had died when he had been six, about three months after she had collapsed on the very day that Masaki had died.

It hurt his heart thinking of his lovely wife, a women who had been utterly devoted to him but he himself had been unable to truly give her his heart, but she had been a salve to him. A reason to continue on with life after he had lost her and after the rift between him and Uryu had started to grow.

Rubbing at his neck, he groaned softly at the thought of all of the years that he had spent training and learning under his father before he had gotten free. But he had been surprised that Souken had been so gentle with Uryu, not expecting it from the man that treated all of his trainees as objects instead of people. But then again, Uryu's training hadn't started once he started to walk but rather when he had been four years of age.

To see how much Souken had cared for, had been careful with, Uryu had brought up a lot of hurt and pain that turned into a dark anger that he had worked to keep from his child. He supposed that had been the start of the rift and it had only gotten wider after Souken's death, Ryuuken unable to do much more then set up the funeral for him and bury his body.

Uryu hadn't understood his father's cold indifference to his grandfather and had been hurt by Ryuuken's inability to tell him why he was so cold to the man. It had hurt him just as much as it had hurt his son and the rift had grown, drowning the both of them.

After that, Ryuuken was the man who ran a hospital, seemingly hated his Quincy heritage and paid his bills for his apartment, occasionally adding a few dollars for this and that to Uryu. They didn't have the relationship that they had had when they had been father and son, losing it slowly over the years, even before Souken's death.

Sighing, Ryuuken put the cross down into its own casing before closing it and the case that held Ichigo's cross, sliding Uryu's case into the drawer that it had sat in since his wife's death. The case for Ichigo's went into his briefcase, just in case he needed it sooner, and the briefcase was placed on the hall table for the next morning. He knew that he would have to tell Uryu just how his childhood was compared to his sons but he dreaded that conversation, feeling as if his child wouldn't believe his words. Rolling his shoulders with a moan, he closed his eyes and rubbed at his neck, tilting his head up for a moment before heading to his bedroom.

He would tell his son before things happened with Seireitei and could only hope that Uryu would believe him.


	22. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 23

Title: Whisper to Me  
Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji  
Part: 23  
Characters: Ryuuken, Uryu, Ichigo  
Word count: 1881  
Warnings: more talking about abusive pasts  
AN: I am tired. *nods* My leg is still very much burnt right now but I'm getting better. Slowly. I hope all is well.

Mind you, there is plans for things to be fixed in the second arc of this story. So you'll see it then.

* * *

Ichigo was perched on the railing before his families graves, eyes tracing over the names of his mother and father, his sisters, remembering that day. It felt like another lifetime ago to him even though only three years had really past between the time of his father and sisters murders. Still, he felt so far removed from the angry child he had been now that he had had time to grow and mourn without being the strong one for once.

Ryuuken was sitting nearby on a bench, watching his cousin as he stared at the graves. His gray eyes could see just how grown the young man was at the moment but there was still a sweetness there that was evident in every movement. It broke his heart to see so much of the cousin that he had once been engaged to but healed it in the same move.

Sighing quietly, the Quincy stood up and walked over to his cousin, leaning against the railing and taking in the names alongside him. "You know that this is going to be one of the hardest things you'll ever have to do right?" he asked softly, Ichigo nodding his head.

"Yeah, it's going to be a bitch convincing people that this Aizen guy is behind everything, at least if he is. We're pretty sure he is...but... He's had them wrapped around his little finger for decades before I was even born so I don't expect them to believe me before I'm able to trip this killer up and get him to make a mistake," he sighed, running a hand through his hair before shaking his head.

"You'll be able to do it," Ryuuken assured his younger cousin, nudging shoulders with the young man.

"It kind of sucks that you can't come with us," Ichigo hummed, tilting his head towards Ryuuken, eyebrows furrowing. "Why is that? You haven't given me a straight answer, Ryuuken, since I first asked you," he stated, seeing the look that told him that the other wasn't about to answer him again.

Ryuuken sighed softly and rubbed at his face, nodding his head. "Yes, I do suppose I owe you a proper answer, don't I?" he asked, getting a look that told him that he did indeed owe his younger cousin an answer. "Alright, alright. Stop glaring at me like that." Taking a moment, he rubbed at his shoulder before fixing his tie, trying to figure out what to say. "As you well know, me and Uryu don't get along all that well."

"That's the understatement of the year. He glares at you like you killed his puppy in the most brutal manner before pissing on him," Ichigo snorted, Ryuuken giving him a humorless smile in return.

"Yeah, well, he doesn't remember how my father and I reacted to each other in his presence," Ryuuken sighed, rubbing at his hair once more before shaking his head in disgust. "I made sure that I kept those interactions and fights out of his sight and out of his hearing," he continued, snarling silently.

"I keep hearing about him and I know that he was my grandfather on mom's side…or something like that," Ichigo hummed, Ryuuken smiling slightly at him at the rather bored tone of voice.

"Something like that," he chuckled softly, once more bumping shoulders with Ichigo. Over the last few days he had built a relationship with his cousin and found it rather pleasant for the both of them. "He was a hard man behind closed doors, at least when it came to me." He paused and took a deep breath. "To the rest of the world, he was a gentle wise man who doted upon his child. But in truth, he would drive me to train whenever I had time. I barely had time to sleep much less eat at first before I actually fainted in class one day. Then my teachers threw a fit and told him that if he allowed me to miss any more rest and food they would have problems with him."

"He backed off slightly, didn't he? But not enough to make a real difference for you. Am I right?" Ichigo asked, voice cold.

Ryuuken nodded his head, blinking when his cousin curled his arm around his own and squeezed in comfort. "Yeah. I ate more and slept more but only a few hours and only a bit more for a long time. The training…I doubt you could really call it training the way he came at me while teaching me. He would show me something or tell me something, and then expect me to either practice it or remember it until I could do it or recite it perfectly."

"Sounds more like it was abuse and not training," Ichigo growled, making a note that if he ever found Souken he would punch the bastard.

Ryuuken could hear the violence in Ichigo's voice and chuckled softly, pressing a kiss to his cousin's head, knowing that the other cared for him enough to want to hurt someone badly. Even if it was another family member. "Yeah. It was, at least so I figured after I left and had the chance to really delve into what abuse was and what constituted as such. His training was the borderline of actual training as I discovered, but I learned the lessons. Even though they've left quite a few scars."

Ichigo tilted his head to the side. "Emotional, physical or mental?" he asked quietly, worried about the answer.

"I'll just say option D for now," Ryuuken sighed, rubbing at his face and shaking his head once more, trying to shake loose the thoughts that were trying to lodge in his mind. "I don't know. It's just…I promised myself that when I had a child I would never treat them like my father treated me. Like some kind of dispensable tool to be trained into a perfect weapon and then disposed of if they don't please me." He stopped and twitched, rolling his shoulders as he growled lowly. "My father was never proud of me, never a true parent to me but he doted upon Uryu like he never did with me."

"It hurt you. Cut you deeper than your father's coldness and seeming disappointment ever did," Ichigo guessed. He had learned a thing or two about reading people from his lover and Sebastian, and while reading his cousin was a bit difficult, it wasn't impossible.

Ryuuken nodded his head. "Yeah, it did. It was almost as if from the very moment that I was born, I was made to disappoint him and nothing I ever did would ever make him happy."

"He was just a bastard and I'm glad that I've never met him. I have a feeling that I would have shoved my fist into his face the first time he talked to me," Ichigo snorted, giving Ryuuken a smirk as he slid off of the railing. "Do you think he's why mom stopped talking with you when she did?" he asked curiously.

Ryuuken nodded his head with a heavy frown upon his lips. "I've been thinking about that and he is the only reason I can think of her stopping talking to me. She always did act coolly towards him when they saw each other, which was rather odd when he was pulling out his wise man act," he said, rubbing at his face again. "It seems that I just never really thought about it before now but now that I am…"

"Makes sense, doesn't it?" Ichigo hummed, leaning into his cousin.

"Yeah, in a rather obvious way now that I think about it," Ryuuken chuckled, the sound rather dark as he shifted and wrapped his arm around Ichigo's waist instead of just resting it against his cousin. "But I don't know what I'm going to say to Uryu. After so many years of being distant from each other, I don't know what to tell him," he admitted, eyes drawn to Masaki's grave. "She'd probably just smack me upside the head and tell me to say it all."

"Want me to do it for her?" Ichigo asked, jumping away when Ryuuken went to poke him in the side, laughing softly before he spotted a shell shocked Uryu standing there, a bouquet of flowers in hand. "Or he could have come for a visit and heard us talking," he said slowly, ready to leave when it was needed. He had a feeling that he would need to be leaving very soon.

"Is what you said true?" Uryu asked, eyes wide as he stared at his father. Ichigo patted Ryuuken on the shoulder and left the two to either duke it out or talk it out. Ryuuken glared after his cousin as he made a quick escape.

"Traitor," he muttered under his breath before turning to his son and sighing once more. "It seems I'm sighing quite a bit today but yes, it's true. Your grandfather, as much as he loved you and doted upon you, hated me. Hated my very existence so it seemed some days."

"And the scars?" he asked, pulling himself straight as Ryuuken once more sighed. "And you are sighing a lot."

"So I noticed. But yes, I have the physical scars on my body along with the scars left by hollows, few as those are, along with the mental and emotional ones," Ryuuken stated, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his pack of cigarettes, sticking it into his mouth. Lighting it, he drew a slow drag into his lungs before letting it flow out once more, flicking at the end with his thumb. "He was abusive to me and loving to you, which made me hurt in ways that no man should ever feel."

"Is that why you didn't like me being with him? Or training my powers with him?" Uryu asked, eyes wide.

Ryuuken rolled his shoulders. "Partly, but also because he was teaching you all about how you were to act as an Echt Quincy. A pureblood," he said, snarling softly. "For such a so called kind and generous man, he was all about the pure blood of our family. He hated the fact that I had married your mother, her father not a Quincy. He had set it up for me to marry Ichigo's mother originally but she disappeared the moment that she could."

"She left with her parents, wasn't it?" Uryu asked, leaning against the railing as his world was being turned upside down.

"Yes. My aunt and uncle, your great-aunt and great-uncle to be precise. Uryu, I loved you but I was not going to allow my love to blind me to anything, including the fact that Souken was a liar and manipulator of great ability," he said, settling in to get down to the details of his own childhood with his child and why he had drawn away all those years ago.

After it had all been said and done, Ryuuken had tears on his cheek and Uryu was pressed close to him, holding the other close as he cleansed his soul of the pain.


	23. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 24

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 24

Characters: Ichigo, Urahara, William, Ciel, Sebastian, Sado, Uryu, Orihime, Rukia, Grell, Yoruichi

Word count: 1,627

Warnings: Nothing

AN: Ah, another chapter, another day. We're really starting to get into it all aren't we? I hope that you enjoy.

* * *

Standing before the gate that would lead them to the Soul Society and ultimately, Seireitei, Ichigo frowned heavily and tugged at his sleeves as he shifted on his feet. William came up behind him and pressed a kiss to his neck. "Calm yourself, my little love. Everything will be fine," he soothed, just brushing his lips along the soft skin of his lover's neck.

"We have all of the paperwork?" Ichigo asked, tilting his head back to smile at his partner, getting a low chuckle and a nod from him.

"Yes, I made sure that we have all of the paperwork should we need it," William huffed. Ichigo chuckled softly, knowing that he had insulted his lover in regards to that. He found that he couldn't help but worry about what they were about to do though.

"I know you did, I'm just worrying," Ichigo admitted to his lover, feeling strong arms come to rest around his shoulders and rub up and down his arms.

"Worry about what?" William asked, having a feeling that he already knew what his smaller lover was worrying about at the moment.

"We're taking humans with us to a world that only Souls go to. Hell, I'm leaving my physical body here to be watched over by a shop keeper who was named my godfather when my mother was carrying me," Ichigo groaned, letting his head fall back against William's shoulder. "You and I both know that Seireitei is not going to look kindly upon that fact," he stated. "Not to mention two high level demons and me, a half Shinigami, half Quincy, part human. To most, I should have never been born," he grumbled, eyes narrowed as he watched Tessai finish with the preparations.

William growled softly and pressed a kiss to his lover's head. "You were meant to be born, meant to shake up the world and change things just by being you."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Ichigo asked, looking up at his lover with a raised eyebrow. William just smiled and pressed a kiss to his forehead, getting a huff from the young male along with an eye roll. "Whatever. Anyways, it's not going to be a pleasant experience in the long run, especially with what Rukia has told us about the last few decades for Sereitei," he continued, sighing contently when once more, his lover rubbed at his arms.

"You'll do fine, so will the others," William promised, pressing another kiss to his forehead and feeling Ichigo relax. He could understand the worry that his partner was going through, going through it himself every time those Grim Reapers under his command went out to look for souls and take them home. There was always that possibility of them not coming home.

In this situation though, that possibility was high and they all knew it.

"Is everyone here?" Ichigo finally asked, breaking both of their thoughts. William hummed and nodded his head.

"Yes, Orihime is upstairs speaking with Uryu about why he looks as if he got no sleep last night and Sado was following behind me with Sebastian and Ciel," William hummed, looking over his shoulder to find the other three males slowly making their way down the ladder. He had to smile at the fact that Ichigo's guardians had gone from thinking of their charge as someone sexually attractive to one that they would kill for just because he was under their careful eye.

"Stop thinking about those two and help me finish off the plans," Ichigo grumped, digging his elbow into his lovers side with an amused look on his face as he pulled away and headed down to the gate. William chuckled and followed after him, landing next to the younger male as he stood next to Urahara. "So, is it ready?" he asked, tilting his head.

Urahara hummed softly and nodded his head. "Yep. Though it will be much easier with the help of Rukia's jigokucho to get you through it all," he said, looking to where Sebastian, Sado and Ciel were walking up to them. Both of the demons were looking like they often did in simple suits that seemed almost out of date for the time period but still fashionable.

It was amusing to Ichigo that the two demons found it easier to fight in a suit that was made for the Victorian ages than an actual outfit made to fight in.

"Stop being so amused by our choice of wear, Ichigo," Ciel huffed, catching the look on his charges face. The look of innocence made him cock an eyebrow before glaring up at his lover. "You taught him that."

"I did not." Sebastian smirked and fixed the cuff of his shirt. "Grell did."

"I'm going to shave him bald," Ciel promised, getting low chuckles from everyone. "Speaking of the annoyance, where is he?" he asked, looking around with a frown on his lips.

"He's coming," Ichigo promised, flicking a piece of his hair back out of his face. "He had to finish gathering supplies for all of us to carry. There's no telling how long we'll be there, much less if we're going to be able to gather things or stay together," he continued.

"I sent him to gather bags that are much like this room. Looks small from the outside, but actually holds quite a bit. We're each going to get one and should it fall into someone else's hands, it will just…seal shut," William told them, Urahara looking rather interested in such an item.

"Is that why any time I see Grell with a bag, it's nothing more than one that he can sling over his shoulder to rest against his hip?" Sebastian asked, eyebrows furrowing together as William smiled and nodded his head.

"Yep, pretty much," Ichigo drawled, having learned about the bags one day when he and Elizabeth had gotten curious about them. "Even you two will have one filled with various things that you will need as this goes. Even though I can call you, there's no telling what will happen in the long run," he continued, rolling his shoulders. "Anyways, I'd rather not have to call you if things get a bit hairy there."

"As long as you take care not to get yourself cut off from your body completely, I don't see a problem," William stated, seeing the looks on Sebastian's and Ciel's faces, knowing that if the two demons had it their way, they would be permanently attached to their young charge. "I believe that once Grell gets here along with Rukia, we can get ready to leave here," he said, getting nods as Uryu and Orihime came down the ladder alongside Rukia.

"Okay, I think we just need Yoruichi," Ichigo hummed, smoothing down his sleeves as he looked around. He bounced a bit on his feet and barely blinked when Yoruichi landed on Sebastian's shoulder, purring loudly. "Okay then, we're all here," he chirped, smiling brightly.

"Grell, do hurry up," William called out as a duffle bag dropped to the foot of the ladder, the red head climbing down the ladder with some speed.

"Don't get your panties in a twist," Grell called, picking up the bag once he reached the bottom and running over to them, bag in hand. "Undertaker is already there, having used something or another that he apparently set up."

"I don't think I'll ever understand him," Ciel sighed, watching as Grell dug around in his bag before handing out bags to everyone. Orihime ended up with a bunny bag while Uryu was handed a simple hip bag that had the Quincy cross on it. Ichigo was handed one with a Faustian seal on the front, making him smirk at the significance of it while Sebastian and Ciel were handed matching small back packs. William and Grell both had small hip bags for themselves, the red heads just as flamboyant as he was.

"Okay, I believe that we're done then," Ichigo hummed, adjusting his bag so that it hid mostly under his clothes but was easily accessed. Settling Zangetsu on his back, he looked over everyone and nodded. "Remember to keep your phones on you at all times. We'll be landing in the Rukigon districts with Rukia heading into Seireitei to open the door that will let us in. If we need to, my father did leave some information on how to get in and out of Seireitei without being noticed," he stated, getting nods from everyone.

"Your bags hold food, water, medical supplies and other things that you may find useful if you get stuck in a situation that you need to hide and fast," Grell informed them. "I suggest when we get there, you explore what you have in each pocket of the bag that you have. It's labeled for easy finding. Got it?" he asked, everyone responding with a yes.

"Good. As Ichigo said, keep your phones nearby because we will be sending out updates should we separate. We expect you all to update too when you have time," Ciel stated, once more everyone agreeing to it.

Urahara took the moment to step up and smile at everyone. "Wonderful. Now that we're prepared, Rukia-san, your jigokucho would be appreciated," he said, Rukia handing over her butterfly with a wary look. With a smile, he jumped up to the top of the gate and set it onto the top, the stone glowing as it flapped its wings. "Good luck everyone," he called as the group headed through the gate, not knowing what would happen on the other side.


	24. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 25

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 25

Characters: Orihime, Uryu, Ichigo, Sebastian, Rukia, Yoruichi, Sado, Grell, William, Ciel

Word count: 1,735

Warnings: not a lot

AN: And we come to another chapter of this story! I hope you guys enjoy

* * *

The area that they landed in made Ichigo hum in delight at the simplistic beauty while still frowning at the fact that it was only so beautiful because of the fact that it was so close to the Seireitei. Shaking his head to dispel those thoughts, Ichigo took in the rest of his group, noting that Orihime was being placed down on her feet by Sado while everyone else was looking rather interested in the surroundings.

"This place tastes of tainted innocence," Ciel stated, frowning heavily to himself as he tugged his gloves back into place, a tick that Ichigo had noted whenever the younger demon was nervous about something. "It does not sit well with me."

"It doesn't sit well with me either," William stated, frowning heavily as Grell shivered and clung to a heavily frowning Sebastian.

"It feels all oily," the red headed Grim reaper whined, shivering. "I hate it," he snarled, sharp teeth flashing in the light as he shivered with a heavy frown on his lips.

Sebastian absently tugged on a bright red lock as Rukia frowned, tilting her head to the side in confusion. "I don't feel it. It feels like always," she said. Orihime frowned heavily and shook her head.

"I can feel it too. It's like something sliding slowly over my skin, trying to dig in...trying to get to my very being," she said, eyes sliding over the idyllic scenery around them. The trees were swaying very gently in the breeze while flowers danced back and forth, the sun shone down on them with clouds making their way lazily past it, throwing shadows onto the ground every so often as they moved past the sun. But there was something writhing under the prettiness of the land around them that wanted to suck them down into it. "It wants to make us lose who we are."

"You're right," Sebastian hummed, shaking his head as he idly played with the lock of hair that he had tugged at, rolling it between two fingers as he racked his own eyes over the land.

Uryu frowned heavily as he shivered, Sado placing his hands onto his shoulders and rubbing at them. "My father said that the Soul Society had lost its way long ago, but I didn't believe him when he said so. Now I can see that it's true."

William hummed as he stroked the back of Ichigo's neck, calming him down from the sudden twitching that he was doing. "The thing is, we haven't gotten any kind of news from the Seireitei in the last...oh, four hundred years or so," he said, eyebrows furrowing at the thought. "We never sent anyone to check it out because we kept getting influxes of souls that we had to sort out for whatever reason any time that we go to send someone to talk with them. First it was this war or that war, or it was this attack or that attack. Epidemics, plagues...things just kept happening."

"It was as if the rotting has a mind of its own," Ciel mused, blue and purple eyes narrowed as he shifted his backpack on his back. "Miss. Kuchiki, show us to where you said there was a place for us to stay so you may return to the Seireitei and lie about why you landed outside of the gates. We must get ready for the...invasion," he said, a slow smirk sliding over his lips before disappearing once more into a frown.

"Yeah, alright. This way," Rukia said, eyeing the demon and feeling her spine stiffen. She liked the two demons, as much as one could like beings like them, but she found that when they smiled like that, she was reminded of Ichimaru-taicho. It was that same, almost smile that danced over his lips, one that said that he knew more than anyone around him, knew things that would curdle their blood and turn their hair white.

It wasn't a pleasant smile and Ichigo just seemed to brush it off so very easily. It made her wonder just how such a nice young man had grown in such a way during the last three years under the care of the two demons. She would have thought that he would have either lost himself to the evil that they radiated or would have become just like them. Then again, he had said that they weren't evil, just dark and that there was a difference between evilness and darkness that many didn't want to understand.

Shaking her head, she lead the way to the cottage that was kept up by someone who no one knew. It had four rooms, a couple of bathrooms and a large common area with a kitchen, food tending to be there when it was needed. The Kuchiki's tended to use it when they needed to get away for whatever reason or had to go into hiding for some odd reason. She had stayed there when she had first been adopted by her older brother to learn how to be a proper Kuchiki, hidden away from the world as she worked on perfecting the mannerisms that she needed to know.

Walking up to the front door, she used a key and opened the front door, everyone following after her and looking around with frowns on their lips. "You will all have to share...but I'm sure that you will be fine," she said, getting a nod from Ichigo.

"That will be fine, Rukia," Ichigo hummed, smiling softly at her and patting her arm. "You should head off to the Serieitei. We don't want them to get twitchy and start nosing around too much," he continued, Rukia nodding her head.

"There should be food but if not, here, some money for the market. It's not far from here and it's pretty well stocked," she said, pulling out a small bag stuffed full of money. She often carried some around, never quite knowing when you would need money for whatever reason. Ichigo smiled softly and nodded his head, taking the money. He knew that it wasn't likely that they would need the money but he knew that she was covering all bases possible.

Sebastian took the bag from Ichigo and tucked it into his inner pocket to go shopping if they needed to. "Thank you, Miss. Kuchiki," he said, nodding his head before moving to take inventory of everything.

"Thank you, Rukia. Someone will get a hold of you once we're past the wall, okay?" Ichigo said, getting a nod of his head, drawing her to the door once more. "For now, we need to rest and get ready to execute our plans," he continued, getting a brilliant smile from her and a nod.

"Yeah. You guys have a good night, alright?" she said, getting another chuckle from him and a nod of his head as she left the house and headed off to the Seireitei. Shaking his head, Ichigo closed the door and leant against it, sighing softly as he ruffled his hair.

"I am far from happy with this set up," he stated as Ciel cocked an eyebrow at him. "It leaves us unprotected. I have a feeling that this cottage isn't very well hidden much less warded," he continued as William came up to him, and rubbed his hands up and down from his elbows up to his shoulders.

"None of us are happy with this," Uryu snorted, eyeing the male that, in a way was his cousin, as he sighed and rested his head against the Grim Reaper known as William's chest. His father had actually broken down and told him about his past, why he and his father, Uryu's grandfather, had ignored each other so much. Rolling his shoulders, he narrowed his eyes as Ichigo stood straight and reached out as Sebastian walked past with what looked like warding seals in hand, sliding one hand into the demon's jacket and snagging the purse full of money.

"For now, Sebastian will place up temporary wards around the house while I go shopping. William and I would like our own room if possible? I tend to attack if someone I don't know or trust is in the same room, and I doubt that I'm actually going to sleep well," Ichigo said, tossing the little bag in hand to test its weight. "If all goes well, I'll be able to access my father's accounts after we all have everything set up here and doing what we need to do."

Sado tilted his head to the side as he wrapped a hand around the lean hips of Uryu as Orihime giggled next to them. "That sounds good to me," he said, getting a smile. "We'll take another room, but that would leave Grell-san with a room without a roommate and we are supposed to stay together."

"I feel like I'm chop liver here," Yoruichi purred as the cat slinked into the room, having disappeared the moment they had arrived.

Grell just snorted and cocked an eyebrow at the shape-shifter. "I am not into beastiality, much less one for a female that turns into a male when a pussy cat," he drawled, cocking one hip to the side as he narrowed his eyes.

Sebastian just smirked and grabbed a bit of hair, dragging him off with a tug on the long hair. "Come along, Grell. You will have a nice place of sleep tonight," he drawled, Ciel following him. It wasn't long before the black haired demon had come back with a bag for their groceries. "Let us go. There is no food here. There is everything else here, but no food."

"So we go shopping," Ichigo drawled, shaking the money once more with a smirk. "Sebastian and I shall go once I change. Knowing Urahara, he probably packed away a few things to make it seem like I'm wealthy enough for a butler but not of a high clan," he continued.

"Then I suggest we both change, my dear one," Sebastian chuckled, tugging on a loose piece of Ichigo's hair.

Ichigo smirked and the two went to their rooms, their respective lovers helping with their kimono's to look like the proper stations, soon leaving the cottage and heading to the marketplace, not knowing what was going to happen.


	25. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 26

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 26

Characters: Ichigo, Sebastian, Ganju

Word count: 1,396

Warnings: not a lot

AN: *snerks* This was fun to write. I hope that you enjoy.

* * *

Walking through the market, Ichigo took the time to just explore, using the time away from the group to relax and settle his mind from the influx of information that they had received so far. He was also listening to whatever gossip was going on around them as Sebastian gathered up what they needed. He was walking around, checking out the various fabrics as he eyed the people that talked about what was going on.

How this low level clan was creating a link to another low level clan by a new marriage between the second daughter of the first clan and the first son of the second clan seemed to be the most talked about thing so far.

"Ichigo-san, you're looking rather thoughtful," Sebastian drawled as he walked up to him, holding a rather full basket with various items that they needed for their stay. Ichigo hummed as he dropped a bit of cloth that was wrapped around a bolt, brown eyes sliding over the people around him.

"They all seem so...boring," he murmured softly, eyes half lidded as he frowned slightly brushing a hand through a bit of the loose hair next to his head. "As if they don't know anything but money and privilege, nothing of suffering despite how many pass into the life stream or into a new living life."

"They simply do not wish to know, Ichigo-san," Sebastian hummed, following after him as they moved to another stall, Ichigo falling into silence.

Unbeknownst to them, not two stalls away a large male was standing, brushing his hands down over his kimono top and over his head, smoothing his bandana down. Ganju's eyes were watching the pretty little one that looked female but had decidedly masculine definition going on in his jaw and the graceful walk. He was amazed by the slow movements, each one wasn't wasted, being used to get him to where he wanted to be, to get to where he needed to be. The man servant next to him moved the same way, making him think that they had both been trained in something or another.

His eyes traveled lower over the kimono clad back taking in the subtleties of the garb and how it seemed to fit that the one before him was so utterly content with wearing the kimono of a marriageable age clan head. Tilting his head at that thought, Ganju frowned to himself.

"Boss, what's up?" one of his people asked. Frowning some more, Ganju rubbed at his chin.

"Just thinkin' that it's kinda odd that a clan head would be unmarried, that's all," he drawled before smirking. "Though he is someone that my sister will like me bringin' home. He is from a clan, looks to be the head and looks really good. Bet he'd be fun to have in bed once you warmed him up."

The staring had been the tip off for Sebastian, making him focus on the conversation and pulling a frown to his lips. Bending down slightly, he whispered what he had heard into his young masters ear, receiving a smirk in return. The plan made him chuckle in amusement, knowing that all they would have to do was wait for the clueless boars to approach them.

Ichigo hid his smile as Ganju walked up to them, pretending to eye a rather well done piece of jewelry that he knew Elizabeth might like. Picking it up, he looked over the quality, humming when he recognized the work of his friends favorite Japanese jeweler who had died the year before. "I recognize this work," he said to Sebastian, holding up one particular necklace. "Didn't he die just last year? In the robbery if I remember right," he hummed, Sebastian nodding his head.

"I believe that young Lady Elizabeth cried heavily because his daughter wasn't quite the master he was at the time," Sebastian said softly, shaking his head with some amusement.

Ichigo chuckled and looked slightly over his shoulder, finding that Ganju was checking his own market day kimono and trying to look good. "My family…is filled with idiots," he stated, getting a low chuckle.

Sebastian simply smirked and moved around him, heading for the vegetable stall that he could see down a bit of the way, knowing that Ichigo would want a salad type thing to go with the fish dish. He always did, ever since he had learned that salad didn't have to be bland or drenched in dressing like most people did. Hunting for the right vegetables, he carefully watched as Ganju came over with a smile.

"My young lord, my name is Ganju, heir of the Shiba Clan. I don't believe that I have seen you around these markets before," Ganju introduced himself, Ichigo putting the bracelet down with a nod to the seller.

"I might come back for that later. My friend might like it for her birthday," he told the young woman, getting a smile from her. Leaving the stall, Ichigo hummed softly. "I'm Ichigo and that's all you're getting out of me," he drawled, heading for Sebastian. "And the reason why you've never seen me here is because I've never been here." The words were cool in tone and made Ganju's eyebrows rise before he smiled charmingly.

"You are new to the area then?" he asked, bowing slightly and falling into step next to Ichigo. Caramel brown eyes flicked up to him before they returned to looking around, taking in the details of the world around them.

"You can say that," Ichigo hummed, smile twitching at his lips as he stepped up next to Sebastian. "Don't forget that Grell has a problem with leeks and Will is allergic to celery," he warned his guardian, getting a thoughtful hum as he placed the two vegetables down, going for something else. "Sebastian, this is Ganju. Of the Shiba clan. Ganju, this is my guardian and bodyguard, Sebastian. We actually came around to pick up some dinner for the night since my partner and the rest of our friends are unpacking at the moment," he drawled, watching Ganju's eyes widen in realization.

"So…" Ganju drawled, blinking once before clearing his throat after opening his mouth only to squeak.

"I am taken. Happily too. It's been building for the last two years really since I was still, technically under age, but that didn't really matter since we were willing to wait for it," Ichigo chirped, patting Ganju's arm with sympathy. "Don't worry, Ganju-san, you'll find someone who is interested in you. But really? You should learn to read people more often. I'm not a clan head, but I am a clan heir who has to hide. I am not single and looking, but taken and happy. And my guardian is hardly a butler despite how he looks," he said lowly, smirking softly. "Tell your sister that the last Kurosaki sends his regards. She should know what I'm talking about."

With that said, he strolled off to a fruit stand, wanting to make something fruity for dessert. Sebastian paused before Ganju and tilted his head, red eyes gazing down at him. "Your clan's reinstated position as a high clan is so that they can keep an eye on you. I hope that you realize that the Seireitei doesn't like loose cannons. Or at least the ones that have the rot under their sweet faces," he drawled.

With that warning, he moved to join his young charge, helping him choose the needed berries. "Do you think he will take the warning?" Ichigo asked as he tried a blackberry, humming in delight and choosing nearly half a pound of them.

"If he's smart, he shall," Sebastian stated as he looked over his shoulder to where Ganju was standing. He had a thoughtful expression on his face as his friends tried to get him to talk about what had happened. "His sister though is smart and she shall heed the warning. I have no doubt that we shall see them eventually."

"No doubt, huh?" Ichigo teased as they paid and headed back to the house, using various tricks to lose anyone that dared to follow them. Sebastian had to only kill one idiot on the way back, making Ichigo scowl about the blood that had gotten onto his zori.


	26. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 27

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 27

Characters: Grell, Ichigo, some Ikkaku and Yumichika

Word count: 1,530

Warnings: not a lot

AN: This is pretty much an information plot chapter. Just a way to push the plot forward and break things up. And a great way to introduce a few people that need to be introduced. :D

* * *

Perched on a roof, gazing out at the Seireitei as the wind played around him, Ichigo fiddled with the phone that they had all found in their bags. He was watching as his friends were scattering about the buildings to find out what they could while Ciel and Sebastian set up the house that he was currently standing on. When they had discovered that the Shiba family mansion and land was pretty much abandoned, they had decided to set up in the main home that they had been told had a large underground training area. Said area was where Sebastian, Ciel and Grell was sealing from anyone nosy enough to try and break into.

Humming as he gazed at the screen, Ichigo frowned and flipped the phone closed, shoving it into his pocket before dropping down onto the ground with a light grunt. Even as he walked back into the house, he knew that Orihime was with Sado and Uryu, both of the men highly protective of her, all three blending into the civilian workers that helped keep the Seireitei going. They were going to see how things were run, test the government and the waters of the people's contentment, see how they lived under the current way of living.

While those three were doing that, Grell would be with him, talking to people and trying not to trip any alarms. They had to talk with Ichigo's grandfather eventually, knowing that getting to the sou-taicho would be hard. But they also had to eventually head to other places to do a few things, such as go to where his mother had lived before becoming a human. Sighing, he walked down into the training area, feeling the wards slide over him much like warm liquid.

It kind of tingled.

"All done?" Ichigo asked as William looked up from where he was creating the paper wards that were being used as a base.

"I am. Grell will be done in a few with these wards but Sebastian and Ciel are laying a few new wards down directly into the wood," William stated as he bent over papers, laying the power filled ink down onto the paper. "So, are you ready to go hunt down the needed information?" he asked as he lover perched next to him.

"Yeah, I suppose so," Ichigo hummed, reaching up to pull his hair free of the simple ponytail that he had stuck it up into earlier. Stealing William's bag, he dug around in it and found the brush that his lover had started to haul around for him.

William chuckled softly and finished with the last of the wards, placing them to the side as the younger male brushed out his hair. "Sometimes, I get this feeling that I'm robbing the proverbial cradle," he said, getting an amused look from Ichigo.

"You're not," Ichigo chuckled as he worked the knots out of his hair, Grell strolling up to them, his hands tucked into his pants pockets. "If I hadn't fallen in love with you, I would have never gotten with someone my own age. More then likely I would have landed in bed with Sebastian and Ciel."

"What about that one boy that you got caught kissing at school?" Grell asked, taking the brush and working all of Ichigo's hair into a simple braid, starting from the top of his head and working his way down.

"Testing something," Ichigo replied. "I discovered that I wanted a real lover that has experience instead of someone who can't kiss to save his life much less see the world that we're a part of ," he continued, holding still as Grell worked his magic.

"And that just happens to be me?" William chuckled as he leant forward to press a kiss to full, smiling lips. Ichigo chuckled with him as he stroked one cheek of his lover's face, feeling his friend finish with the braid.

"Yep," Ichigo hummed as he stood, feeling the braid, sending his friend a smile. "Thank you, Grell. Are you ready to go?"he asked, turning to Grell, finding him brushing off his trousers. He eyed the red head before eyeing his lover up, finding them both in their usual uniforms that they wore during Grim Reaper business. "It's a good thing that you're staying here, lover."

"And just why is that?" William asked, standing once he had put things away into his bag.

"I would get nothing done," was the self deprecated response, Ichigo shaking his head with a smile on his lips. "Okay, we need to head on out and do our thing. William, will you three be fine?" he asked.

"We will be. You and your friends know how to call for us should we need to come help you," William said, stealing another kiss from his lover and pressing their foreheads together. Ichigo smiled softly and nodded. "Have you said your goodbyes?"

"Yeah, I have. I just had to come get my bag and Grell so we can go do our first job," Ichigo hummed. Pressing a kiss to William's lips once more, he pulled away and picked up his bag, slinging it over his shoulder before readjusting Zangetsu across his back with a smile on his lips once more. "Alright, Grell, lets head to the daireishokairo and start looking for our needed information."

"What is it with these people and huge ass words for something simple like an archival library?" Grell grumbled as he followed after his friend, the two leaving the house and out onto the roof tops, the two sticking to the shadows. They often shared looks about the laughable security as they ran, dodging even the Onmitsukido, the hidden jewel of the Seireitei. "That was pathetically easy," he complained once they were in the Great Archive, and behind the wards and locked doors.

Ichigo snorted and pulled his backpack off of his back, digging around in it with a smile. "It was. But then again, Urahara had warned us that it seems as if the Seireitei has become lax with their security,: he stated, finding his phone and camera. Flipping it open, he found the text that came from Urahara and followed the instructions to find the files that the man had hidden before he had been banished. His father had also hidden away information but most of that was hidden away in the Shiba clan library at the mansion.

Ichigo and Grell didn't envy Sebastian that job.

"Come on, let's get this shit," Grell grumped, looking at Ichigo's phone before starting to hunt down the scrolls that had been hidden away. "Yoruichi hid some of her shit here too didn't she?" he asked as he looked over each scroll before dismissing it.

"Yeah, but those are actually hidden in Yamamoto's personal library surprisingly enough," Ichigo hummed. The two found the first two scrolls and stuck them into their bags before moving to the next section to find a book that they needed. "We'll get those once we see him but for now, we need to find all of Urahara's shit and get back to the house to drop it off. I'm just glad that he was smart enough to hide it here instead of in the Twelth."

"Oh yeah. I have no doubt that insane clown had it locked down hard," Grell snorted, shaking his head with a growl, finding the book and grunting as he pulled it off. Shoving it into his backpack, he looked over to Ichigo, finding him using his large camera to take pictures of a scroll he had unrolled. "Where the fuck did you hide that thing in your bag?" he hissed.

"In a side pocket of my bag. It comes apart and lets me put it away into the bag just fine, especially since it is like the training room at the Shoten. I have a net book too so I can shift the pics over to it. I had a feeling that we would find things to be useful but that we couldn't take," he explained, rolling up the scroll and putting it away again, doing the same with another scroll.

Grell eyed him before smirking. "Got another camera?" he asked. Ichigo chuckled softly and pulled out the pieces of another camera, putting it together for his friend. After an exchange of memory card cases, they worked their way through the archive, taking pictures of certain scrolls and finding what they needed. As the sun started to peek over the horizon, they headed back to the mansion, only one person seeing them flit back to their home base. Violet eyes narrowed as a frown tugged at his lips as he crossed his arms and twitched his hips to the side.

"Hey, Yumi! Come on! Torturing the recruits can't wait that long!" Ikkaku called out, frowning at his friend.

"Yeah, coming," Yumichika called back, brushing off what he had seen to think about after the daily training. It wasn't often that you saw those shades of red hair often around there after all.


	27. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 28

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 28

Characters: Yumichika, Renji, Rukia, Ikkaku, Iba, Kira,

Word count: 1,702

Warnings: not a lot

AN: I am in pain. A lot of fucking pain. I have a tens unit on and am working the muscles of my shoulder but I'm having a very hard time lifting my shoulder up. Much less anything else. *sighs* Anyways, I come to you with this chapter and hope you enjoy.

* * *

Staring at his sake dish, Yumichika frowned heavily as the liquid rippled in his sake dish. He was thinking about what he had seen earlier as the sun had started to lighten the sky. The flash of blood and fire red hair in the lightening sky had been enough to perk his attention, making him curious about it. At least curious enough to ignore the fact that Rukia had been dragged along by Renji to a night out despite the fact that she was a Kukichi and therefore was supposed to be above such low brow bars.

But she seemed to be enjoying herself, teasing Renji into a stuttering, blushing mess about something or another.

Still though, Yumichika's mind was on the hair that he had seen. Closing his eyes, he drew up the two that he had seen, finding that he had memorized quite a bit with Ruri'iro Kujaku's help. The one he figured to be the younger of the two had skin like milk caramel, softly colored and sweetly smooth, and was the one with the fire colored hair that had been tightly bound in what look to be a braided bun. The other had his hair in a bloody spill of silken locks and oddly florescent green eyes.

Eyes that he had never seen on a human, much less a Shinigami.

Frowning and opening his eyes, he stared at Rukia, who shot him a look to keep quiet about whatever he had just realized, before making a note to talk with her about what it was that she knew. Sipping at his sake, he continued to muse over why the two that he had seen were there. They didn't wear anything like any Shinigami wore, at least from what he had seen of the others.

Shinigami could customize their uniforms as they wanted but they still had to wear them, but those two were in entirely different articles of clothing. The younger of the two wore what looked to be a fashionable mix of clothing styles that worked for him, including the liquid gold obi around his trim waist. But the other wore something that seemed to have come from a time long gone, one that Yumichika had only seen hints of when they had first taken over the Eleventh division and he had to actually go out into the living world.

Choking on a sip of sake as what he had seen hit him, he stared at the narrowed eyed Rukia with wide, surprised purple eyes as everyone around him asked what was wrong.

"Nothing, just had a thought, that's all," Yumichika waved off, dabbing at his mouth and noticing that most everyone but he and Rukia were bordering on drunk.

"So, as I was saying, I met this guy in the human world, and it was almost as if he could see me but couldn't," Rukia went back to the story that she had been half telling. "And I could tell he was Japanese despite the way he looked and all, but his accent was really light compared to the rest of the people around him, and sometimes he slipped into English like he lived there for most of his life."

"How old was this kid?" Ikkaku asked, looking slightly more sober than Shuuhei, who had stayed quiet for the most part, Iba already with his cheek on the table and smiling like a loon at Rukia. Renji was looking curious while Kira was blinking quickly, sake dish perched in slender fingers.

Rukia shrugged and took a delicate sip of her own sake before waving for a fresh bottle, paying for herself. "I have no idea. Seventeen maybe? It's so hard with these living humans, no matter how much experience you have. At least now days," she complained, everyone agreeing with her, Yumichika listening in after he ordered something for the table to nibble upon. "Anyways, feeling this guy out, I get a little ping, like you would get off a medium, but there's something more about him," she continued, shaking her head.

"Something more?" Yumichika asked, raising one perfectly sculpted eyebrow as his violet eyes sparkled in interest.

"Yeah, but I couldn't get a reading off of him. I'm not the best with feeling people out and I know this. That's why I use the tech that we're given, unlike some morons," she drawled, giving Renji and Iba a look that drew pouts that weren't supposed to be on grown men's faces from them. "I use my phone and it gives me nothing to go on so I decide to follow him. I find out that his guardian's are two males, both really pretty but the older one a bit more on the manly side despite how lithe he was. I followed them around for a week when a Hollow didn't distract me."

"I have a feelin' somethin' happened if you're grumpin' like this," Renji drawled, his accent growing heavier with every inch of his sobriety being lost.

Rukia gave him a dark look before sniffing and sipping at her own saucer. "Yep. One day while I was watching them, a hollow popped up and I had to go take care of the damn thing," she said, Yumichika smirking at the slip of the curse word. He knew that she only cursed when she was buzzing on her drinks. "I was only gone no more than a couple of hours, since I had to deal with this little boy that had hidden himself up a tree pretty damn well, but when I got back to where they were living, they had cleared out!"

"Cleared out?" Yumichika asked, leaning forward, interested in what she would say next.

"Yeah," Rukia sighed, resting her chin on one hand. "Everything was gone. And I do mean everything. There was a house full of furniture, knickknacks and other things that a person kind of collects over the years as you live in one place. Not even a speck of dust was left. It was like they had never been there at all," she continued, idly watching them before shifting and pulling out a copy of parchment. "Well, except this. I've already shown Yamamoto-soutaicho this but…"

"You're breaking so many rules," Yumichika purred, snatching the piece of parchment out of her fingers with a quick grab, curiosity perked hard. Opening it up, his eyebrows shot upwards at the neat writing. "Wow, this type of writing is something of a lost art."

"Is it?" Ikkaku asked, everyone looking over the table and to the page filled with gorgeous kanji.

"Yeah. You see, this is Kanji, but it's got a decided tilt to each letter. If I have to say anything about it, it would seem as if the person learned Kanji after learning how to write, possibly a high class aristocrat," he continued. "Maybe English? But definitely not from this day and age considering the paper is handmade using techniques from about the time that Kenpachi-taicho took over the Eleventh."

"How do you know this, Yumichika-san?" Kira asked, having shifted to lean over Ikkaku to take in the picture with wide eyes. Ikkaku on the other hand was looking rather smug with himself, not bothering to tell the buzzed Kira that his hand was resting close to his groin.

Yumichika smiled slightly. "I had to go to the living world a few times, remember? During that time I went around and saw some of the prettier papers out there and got interested. I researched them over the years and kept tabs on how things are done now days," he said before starting to read the letter. " _Dear Shinigami, you aren't that good at hiding, I hope you know. You left yourself open one too many times and we felt you much too easily_ ," he read, giving Rukia a look. "You need to work on that."

"You're telling me," Rukia snorted, snatching the page and continuing to read. " _Yes, we know who you are, no we are not human, at least not my partner and I. Our young charge is human, to a point, on the other hand. We also know that we do not want your people to know of us or who we are. Despite the fact that my partner and I do not fall under the purview of the Seireitei and the Shinigami therein, our charge does, having been born in Japan_."

Yumichika stole the parchment once more, noting that Kira had happily settled himself into Ikkaku's lap with a sweet smile on his lips. " _Thus, we have left, but not before we tell you this. There is rot in the roots of the government that you so love. The Seireitei is so far behind the times that even Hell is more modern than your government. There needs to be some heavy changes before we even think of showing ourselves to you and yours_ ," he continued to read. "Damn, this person has some knowledge about us."

"Yep," Rukia hummed, taking the parchment with a roll of his eyes. " _Until then, work on your hiding skills and don't look for us unless your people wish to receive a very traumatized Shinigami._ Well, that was nice of them," she sniffed, rolling her eyes once more before tucking the file away again.

"So, what are we gonna do about these people since they know about us?" Iba asked, sounding surprisingly sober considering just a little bit ago he was smiling like a loon and laying on the table top.

"Not a damn thing according to the soutaicho. Apparently we need to just ignore the fact that there's a whole subset of people that know all about us and what we do," Rukia snorted, shrugging. "But he said nothing about talking about how our government is so outdated that even Hell is run better than us," she drawled, leaning forward. "And you know what? I happen to agree with them."

Yumichika smirked, finally seeing how she was going to play this game. It was about time someone took on the idiots of the Seireitei and did something about them.


	28. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 29

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 29

Characters: Yamamoto, Grell, Ichigo

Word count: 1,550

Warnings: Plotting

AN: Ah, look at this. We're starting to build upwards to the climax of the story! And we're hitting the 30's on Monday. Wow right? Yes, this story is LONG. Somewhere up into the 50's okay? So yes, lots more to come. :D

Enjoy!

* * *

"Must we do this in the dark?" Grell hissed, eyes narrowed as he followed his friend down the halls, dodging the idiots that were walking around, supposedly guarding the Seireitei's First Division, but were looking bored with their surroundings.

Ichigo just tilted his head and chuckled softly. "Yes, because there are more people running around in the day time and we're not ones that would blend in easily. Especially since your eyes glow, now don't they?" he asked teasing, getting a pout from the other male.

"Yes, yes, I suppose you're right," Grell huffed. They headed down one last path area before finding the courtyard that they wanted, Ichigo smirking and nodding his head.

"Here we are. We just need to stick to the shadows. My dear grandfather should be in his home office near the back, facing the garden that had been created by his mother," Ichigo said, the two heading that way, finding no one around which was a good thing for them. They didn't want to run into anyone just yet. It wouldn't do them any good if it did happen. "Ready for this?" he asked.

"Of course. I always wanted to meet the leader of the Gotei 13 by breaking into the Seireitei with my bosses blessings," Grell snarked, getting a smirk from Ichigo before they started to run along the wall that surrounded the grounds, dodging to the tree branches and finding the right window. Ichigo was hardly surprised by the fact that the window was open to let in the breeze, such as it was. "I have no idea why they don't just update these places to include air conditioners," he grumbled lowly into Ichigo's ear.

"Because they need to keep some traditions even as their world around them changes with the more modern people coming in and taking positions in the academy and in their ranks," Ichigo hummed lowly before nodding and jumping down from the branch, appearing next to the window. He perched on the sill and ducked under the window, finding his grandfather sitting at a desk, staring at him as he moved aside the curtains.

"I was wondering if I would be getting a visit from the young man that young Kuchiki-san followed," he rumbled in greeting, Ichigo smirking.

"She didn't follow me around, but I think you know that already. You've been a running this joint for much too long to have been taken in by that letter," Ichigo responded, sliding off of the sill and standing straight, shifting his zanpactou on his back. "Then again, I think you knew the minute that my family was killed that something had shifted, didn't you?"

Yamamoto sighed and put the brush that he had been using to write something aside, eyes sad as he closed his eyes and nodded his head. "Yes, I knew that something had changed. I had my own fukutaicho go and see if their souls were there, and to see if any had lived. But by then you had disappeared and your family's death's had been labeled murder. Under investigation by the one named Urameshi," he said, watching as Ichigo moved to sit down on a floor pillow, sealed zanpactou laid against his thigh and body ready to move should he need to.

Ichigo nodded his head, Grell slipping into the office with a frown on his lips, red hair spilling over one shoulder. "So, you found out that their souls had already been collected by the time you guys got off of your duff's, huh?" Grell drawled as he dropped to the ground with a smirk on his lips.

"Indeed," Yamamoto said, eying the Grim Reaper. "I knew that your mother was connected with demons, but I wasn't aware of her connection to Grim Reapers," he stated, eyes turning to Ichigo who was smiling very slightly.

"She wasn't, not really. I am though, through my guardians, who are the demons that she helped at one time," Ichigo explained. "Grell and my lover, William, both know Sebastian and Ciel from during the time that Ciel was still human, back in the Victorian ages," he continued, shrugging.

"Lover?" Yamamoto queried, raising one thick eyebrow.

"Yes, lover, and before you tell me I'm too young to have one, I've known him since I was 15, we waited until I was 18 to actually have a real relationship, and I am mostly human despite my genetic makeup," Ichigo stated, waving a finger before him. Yamamoto nodded his head with an understanding look. "Anyways, as the letter said, there is a rot in the Seireitei and there is someone trying very hard to fix everything but in all of the wrong ways," he continued.

"It said nothing about that," Yamamoto said, frowning heavily at the thought of such a person being there.

"Ah, it seems as if Ciel forgot something," Grell drawled, snickering as Ichigo rolled his eyes and smacked at one shoulder.

"Considering what you were doing at the time he was writing it? I'm surprised his hand writing was as steady as it was," Ichigo replied, Grell beaming happily and nodding his head.

"He's good at keeping cool," Grell hummed, remembering his day with the two demons, flushing heavily. He had at one time thought Ciel to be a child but that child had grown up into a beautiful male who was confident and smart, knowing how to do what he needed to do.

Ichigo pulled a face of distaste. "Eww, so don't need to think about my guardian's and you getting happy together," he whined, getting chuckles from the two other men. "Anyways, the one who is going to try to change everything using all the wrong ways is still unnamed. Not even Urahara or Yoruichi with her connections can tell us who it is," he continued, sighing softly.

"She did say that she had left everything she had learned over the years in your private library, but we'll get to that soon enough," Grell promised, smirking slightly at the surprised looking Yamamoto. "Didn't think anyone could get into there or the Great Archive without being found did you?" he asked.

"No, I did not but I am not surprised that she and Urahara-san found ways of doing so and sent them with you," Yamamoto hummed. "Tell me what you have discovered, Kurosaki-san. But first, can you tell me what your name is, Reaper-san?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at Grell.

"I am Grell Sutcliff and I am Head Grim Reaper of Sector Nine under William T. Spears," Grell said, smirking at the man. "Now, about the information that you asked about," he continued, looking to Ichigo.

"It starts when the murder of myself and my family were ordered by someone who went right around you and used some of Soi-fon's own people. All of this was found out later while Yoruichi was doing some poking around so this is second hand knowledge," Ichigo said, settling back into place.

Grell held up a finger. "And before you say anything about his families reels, it's not going to happen. They were sealed away by Undertaker to help preserve them while their souls rested and regained their functions. Apparently they'll be able to become either Grim Reapers or Shinigami once they awaken from their spiritual comas," he explained. "Right now they're hidden away and watched over."

"Good," Yamamoto hummed, nodding his head with a sigh, rubbing at his own face as a worry was lifted up. "If they become Shinigami though it will not be good for them to come here if there is someone after them," he warned.

"We know. If they awaken before we are able to help get your things fixed, they are staying there, training with Undertaker and with Urahara until things get fixed. They will be placed under the purview of the Grim Reapers as Shinigami representatives and will only answer to the one that they choose to," Ichigo stated, Grell nodding. "It shall probably be you but we believe that we'll get things fixed before that time. Anyways, to move on…"

For the next several hours, Ichigo told Yamamoto about how he had gone from a child who had known nothing to where he was at that moment and what he was going to do. The person would eventually be stopped, one way or the other, and the rot would be gutted out to allow new growth to happen. Yamamoto agreed with everything, listening intently to every detail to what was being said and making notes mentally.

He knew that the Seireitei had to find the balance again, knew that things were going wrong the further away from the edge it was, and knew that it was because of the unbalance that had been allowed to happen. He supposed that it had been so slow and silent that they hadn't truly allowed it to happen but they knew that something had been off and had ignored the warnings.

Now it was going to take his grandson and those who were not a part of the very fabric of Seireitei to make those needed changes.

And it would start with his grandson being captured.


	29. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 30

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 30

Characters: Byakuya, Ichigo, some Grell

Word count: 2,190

Warnings: none, hints of past

AN: And we introduce some more of Ichigo's family history. *coos* Okay, so to say the family history goes something like this:

Ichigo:

Mother: Masaki

Father: Isshin

Siblings: Karin and Yuzu

Break down:

Isshin:

Father: Officially – Shiba head, really: Yamamoto

Mother: Shiba Head

Siblings: Kaien, Kukaku, and Ganju

Masaki:

Mother: Second Wife of Byakuya's father

Father: Byakuya's father

Siblings: Byakuya

You got it? Yes? We're all clear right? Good. Wonderful. I've explained it. Or at least explained it as well as I can remind it.

Enjoy!

* * *

"This place is really dusty," Ichigo sighed lightly as Grell stood by the window, peeking out of the thick curtains that they had just slipped through.

Grell snorted and shook his head as he dropped the curtain, certain that no one had seen them slip into the room. "Well, yeah. Are you that surprised?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at his friend. Ichigo just gave him a cool look before brushing off a bit of dust on a jewelry box with his fingers.

"No, not really considering that she was hidden after she left this world to live a life amongst the humans," Ichigo hummed, shaking his head with a sad smile on his face. "I remember her telling me one day that before she had found her place next to my father, her life didn't feel right," he continued, opening the box, smiling at finding the necklace that his mother had one day sketched out for him.

It looked just like he thought it would, just as it had looked when she had drawn it. It had the three soft blue jewels that were rounded like pearls, small and shone with an inner light. The jewels were held in place by the elegant silver vines with tiny details that wrapped around each pearl. The rest was a soft fabric that connected to the chains that would latch around the back of his neck. Hanging off of one latch was a small leaf that would rest against one's skin. It made him smile softly as he remembered his mother's love of leaves and ivy vines.

"It's pretty. Your mother's?" Grell asked, looking at the necklace over Ichigo's shoulder, taking in the delicateness of it.

"At one time," Ichigo hummed, closing the box with a smile, stroking the top before looking around. The futon had been long cleared away, the padding gone along with any bedding, but everything else was still there, making it look quite a bit like what his mother had drawn so many years ago. The raised area where her futon would have sat was still there, dusty. But it still had drawers lining one side where she would have placed her special kimonos away until she needed them for a party, a dinner or some other special occasion. She also hid away some of the things that she wanted no one else to know.

Looking around, he took in the small desk that she would sit at, at night, writing in her journals and planning her next day, the small alter that she had kept to her mother during that life, and the almost closet like extra that kept her kimonos and all the needed accessories that came with them.

"Your mother was well treated, that's for sure," Grell hummed, peeking into the closet, eyeing the various boxes of kimonos that were still carefully wrapped to prevent anything from getting on them.

"She was. She may have been the first child of the second wife, but she was the first girl. In the clans, despite how they act, the eldest girl of the newest generation is well cared for," Ichigo hummed. "Even if it is only physically and not emotionally," he continued, kneeling down next to the platform and pulled out one of the drawers, memories of listening to the words of his mother as she talked about her life in stories of a woman who left all she had to try to find love.

All those stories he had read and kept close to his heart, never sharing them except with William when he had finally opened up one day about it. Ciel and Sebastian had filled in the blanks that the stories had, making him smile. But now they were coming in handy as he shifted the silky silvery colored kimono to the side, stroking the ivy lines that trailed over the fabric before finding the small box that had been hidden under it.

"Ah, here it is," he breathed, pulling it out and placing it onto the platform. Taking off his backpack, he rifled through a small pocket before pulling out a tiny key that hung on a gold chain.

"I'm still surprised that you were able to hide so much information from me, Ichi," Grell whined at him, Ichigo just smirking as he unlocked the box.

"No need to make it easy for you, my friend," he teased, getting huffed at by the other. Opening the top, he smiled and stroked over the three hair sticks that he found within. He himself had a hair stick that he had received for his seventeenth birthday from William that he loved dearly. It was shaped like an English sword but decorated in delicate flowers on the rounded guard and had two chains, one with three little balls hanging from the middle of it while more of the stones that made up the flowers hung from the very ends of the chain. He could still feel the energy that had pulsed that first time in his hands from the rose quartz, and still felt every time he wore the pin.

But these? These were made from high quality stones and metals, made for a child of a high class clan, for all that they were day hair sticks. One held two beautifully crafted origami cranes hanging from a chain with a deep red tassel hanging from the end of the chain. Two onyx beads sat at the beginning of the chain and at the end just before the tassel. The cranes looked to be made out of silver with dusting of precious stone dusts to give them their red and blue colorings. The stick part looked as if it too had been made of gold, giving it an elegant look.

The second one held a round disk at the top, a smaller hole sitting near the top of the disk with a spinel bead hanging in the center of the hole. A blood stone shaped into a round bead sat over the gold disk while three long pieces of spinel hung from the bottom curve of it, creating a beautiful design while the stick was made from what he figured was platinum.

But it was the last piece that he had known was his mother's favorite at one time. It was a beautiful piece of workmanship, made of dark wood with delicate slivers of opal, aventurine, orange chalcedony, and aqua blue chalcedony embedded into the wood. Opal and rubellite made up the few beaded shape gems that hung on the chain. But it was the delicately shaped gold butterfly that hung from one of them that made him smile as he stroked his fingers over it.

"Wow, someone loved your mother quite a bit," Grell breathed, taking in the gorgeousness of the work a little closer.

"Yes, her brother," Ichigo hummed, closing the box with one last stroke over the hair sticks before tucking the box into his backpack as they felt the tickle of power coming their way. "Show time," he drawled. He silently pushed the drawer back in and standing, bag held in one hand as Grell slipped behind the curtain, making sure that he was well hidden away from everyone. He would come out when they either left or if he needed to intervene.

It was to Ichigo kneeling by the altar, lighting a stick of incense that Byakuya walked into, his eyes widening as he went stiff with the sight of some intruder daring to defile the room that his sister had left oh too long ago. "Who are you?" he hissed, teeth bared as Ichigo placed the stick into the black sand held in a small pot.

"You can call me Ichigo," Ichigo replied, staying kneeling before the altar as he sent up a silent prayer to the family that he had lost over the years and those whom he had never met before. "I'm not here to fight you so take your hand off of your zanpactou, would you?" he asked, standing up finally after he looked to his uncle, smiling at the defensive yet hesitant stance of the other male. "I'm not here to fight, just talk," he continued, sliding his backpack over one shoulder.

"What do you mean talk?" Byakuya asked, narrowing his eyes at the soft smile that made him think of his sister. She had been the eldest, but not of his mother, instead of their father's second wife, so she hadn't been the heir to the clan, but she always had a smile for him. Sometimes it was knowing. Sometimes it was sad.

And sometimes it just was, like the one that danced on Ichigo's lips. He narrowed his eyes at the young man as he turned to look at the altar.

"I'm sure you've noticed odd happenings, heard things that others barely say above a whisper lest they get looked at too closely," Ichigo hummed softly, brushing off a bit of dust from the top of the altar. Byakuya stiffened and took in the outfit that the young man wore. It wasn't that of a Shinigami much less of anyone that he had ever seen before in his life, so it didn't help him in identifying just who the male before him was, or how he knew of things that were better left in the dark for the time being. "You see, those things, those hidden actions, caused me to lose what little family I had living. My mother died when I was young, leaving my two sisters, me and my father without her."

Byakuya twitched as he remembered the gossip of a death of a living clan member nearly thirteen years before. "Did she?" he asked, shaking the thought that it was connected to the gossip of so long ago.

"Yes. A hollow killed her because I was just a child with no knowledge of what I saw or what it could be, but she still saved me. Then about three years ago I lost my father and sisters to a plot. I'm not completely sure what plot it was but it is connected to this place, to this world that throws everything out of balance," he continued, moving over to the curtains and standing there, sadness in his eyes. "For three years I have lived with two very special people that my mother helped long before I was born. They kept me out of the eyes of those who would kill me just because I represent something that they don't want to have known about. I have power that they can't control."

"Power?" Byakuya asked, soaking up every bit of detail that he could. Ichigo just smiled softly and looked at him with amusement in his eyes.

"Oh yes, power. Quite a bit spiritual power but also just...power. Power of the mind, heart and body. I won't say yes or no to something without questioning it until I have all of the answers that I wish for," Ichigo said, smirking slightly and running a hand over the curtains before shrugging. "They do not like people thinking. They tend to want puppets after all. Just look at how the clan elders treat you, as if you are nothing but a puppet to pull the strings on."

Byakuya stiffened as the barb hit right where it was supposed to, Ichigo's eyes showing that he knew it had. The younger male tugged the curtains open, a flash of red hair slipping around the corner as Ichigo moved to perch on the sill, looking over his shoulder.

"Mother always said that despite your cold exterior, you were brilliant and caring. Loving," he said, eyes staring right into Byakuya's eyes. "And that you were like your grandfather in that you would not be used, but would make your own decisions based on the knowledge that you have and the information that you gather. Do not let her memories that she passed onto me go untrue. Find the information and make your decisions properly," he said before disappearing out of the window.

Byakuya stared at the empty window for a second, shocked into stillness before he ran to the window and looked out of it. He saw Ichigo drop from the wall that surrounded his and his sister's private garden alongside a man with blood red hair, making him slowly breath out. "Could you truly be her child, Ichigo?" he asked as he pulled back inside and closed the windows. Fully closing the curtains, he sighed and looked to the rather small painting that sat on the wall across from the window, hidden from all those but those who knew what to look for, his sister smiling from the frame. "Could it be you did find love in the living world?" he asked the portrait. Sighing, he left the room, closing the door behind him to think on the heavy words that the young man had given him.

Oh yes, he had much to think of and much to do.


	30. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 31

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 31

Characters: Sebastian, Ichigo, William, Yamamoto

Word count: 1,644

Warnings: none, hints of past

AN: We learn what's going on! And don't believe those three...they knew who it was from the start, the little buggers. They just had to manipulate everything and get proof.

The buggers.

Ah, over on , Inuchic13318 brought up a point I forgot to mention in regards to Masaki.

Masaki was a Born Soul. Meaning she was born in the Seireitei. She left the Seireitei and the clan to be Born as a Human. Thus how she became a Quincy, seeing as she did have powers of her own but had never practiced them in the Seireitei.

I'll be going in to the why's and how's in the second Arc as we build towards the Winter War. :D

Enjoy!

* * *

He should have thought that it would have happened, but still to see his grandson sitting in his personal office with a cup of warm tea and a book in hand, he was still surprised when he walked in. And this time, instead of Grell, there were two men that he didn't know. One had the same florescent colored eyes as Grell had, but they were more yellow than the green that was the red head's. With neatly trimmed hair and a matching uniform to Grell's told him though that the man was more than likely William, his grandson's lover and boyfriend.

The other man though, looked like a butler from a past long gone. His hair was black as a starless and moonless night while his eyes were just a shade darker than dried blood. He was filling a fourth tea cup with tea from his favorite pot. Smiling, Yamamoto shook his head with a smile on his lips, closing the door behind him.

"Where is Grell-san?" he asked in greeting, moving to sit down on the couch next to Ichigo, nodding his head at the man who handed him his tea cup with a smile. "Thank you."

"You're quite welcome. As for Grell, he is currently in your library, going through the files that are hidden in there and taking pictures of it along with some other things," Sebastian drawled, taking his own seat with his own cup. "Allow me to introduce ourselves. I am Sebastian Michaelis, demon butler, and this is William T. Spears, Grim Reaper. It's nice to finally meet you, Yamamoto-sou-taicho," he said, getting a nod from the man.

"I have heard much of you and your partner, Michaelis-san. It is finally nice to meet you," Yamamoto stated before turning his eyes to William, who just smiled slightly at him. "Spears-san, it is nice to meet you finally. I have also heard much about you too," he said, William tilting his head in acknowledgment.

"It is a pleasure to meet you to, Yamamoto-sou-taicho. We have heard much about you from Ichigo. It's quite amusing," William said, watching his lover flush and glare at him over his tea cup.

"Shush up, William," Ichigo huffed, shaking his head. "Yamamoto...I think we have a bead on the ones that we want to watch closely and the ones that we can trust in what we're going to do," he stated, turning the conversation to what they had come to do. They all knew what was going to happen and they needed to work out how things were going to go. Or hopefully go.

"Who are they?" Yamamoto asked, Ichigo pulling his bag from under the couch and finding the list that they had compiled from the various talks with the residents of the Seireitei and from reading the files that they had found.

"Let's see. From what we know, the taicho's of your Eighth, Thirteenth, and Eleventh will all fight for what's right, even if it would mean going against you should they have to. Which I doubt that they would. Or at least, in the taicho of the Eleventh, if it meant a good fight for him," Ichigo read off, finger trailing over names. "Um, let's see. The second division's taicho is most likely a no since I found out that it was some of her division that killed my family with or without her knowledge, I do not know," he hummed, shaking his head, pushing the bitterness down again. "The Fourth, Sixth, Seventh and Tenth taichos might follow you but they need to be convinced. I think, that there's something darker happening than just a few shinigami who are about to turn traitor on everyone. The ones that we need to watch...well, I know of at least one who has good reason to turn traitor."

"They are the taichos of the third, fifth and ninth. The Twelfth Division taicho deserves a good hard look at because of who he is and how he acts. I believe that he had done several things that have not be approved of by you much less the Central 46," Sebastian said, smiling innocently and getting knowing looks from the three men. Even Yamamoto, having only known the demon for a short time, knew that Sebastian was far from innocent. "I may have happened to break into the Twelfth one day and stole copies of all of their information. I'm still breaking the encryption on most of it but what I've found has been very informative," he drawled.

"You didn't tell me that," Ichigo huffed, narrowing his eyes at his guardian before looking at William who was trying to hide behind his tea and look innocent at the same time. "Oh you are in so much trouble. And I'm going to tell Ciel to tie you down and play with Grell without letting you join," he threatened, looking at his guardian at the last part.

Sebastian blanched slightly before clearing his throat and shaking his head. "I would have told you if not for the fact that you and Grell were so busy with everything else," he promised, nodding his head and trying to get out of being couched like what it was looking like Ichigo was planning. "Anyways, once I have decoded everything I will give you reports on everything so you can do something about him in the long run," he promised.

"Thank you," Yamamoto hummed, wisely staying out of Ichigo's line of pissed off sight. He knew how that would go over, remembering well how Ichigo's mother had acted like when she had gotten pissed off over something. He liked his beard right where it was. "Now, how is the next part of all of this supposed to start?" he asked.

"The next part is going to be a bit of a pain in the ass," Ichigo sighed, leaning into William when the Grim Reaper slid his arm around his waist. "We're going to need to set off the alarms, which means breaking the wards around the walls of the Seireitei and getting everyone up in a frenzy."

"From there our people will scatter and allow themselves to be caught after knocking the person around," Sebastian said, tapping his claws. "At least Ichigo, Sado, Orihime and UryuUryu will be doing so."

"Grell and I shall be working on keeping an eye on them all while Sebastian and Ciel keep working on breaking the clowns encryption until Ichigo calls for them," William continued, Ichigo nodding his head as he drained his tea cup and put it down onto the table before him. "Ichigo will probably be caught last, and he will more than likely take down several of your people. I have a feeling that the others shall do so to before they allow themselves to be caught."

"If I may make a suggestion?" Yamamoto asked, getting nods from the others. "Those of the Eleventh Division are ones, as you figured, to want for a fight but they fight fair mostly and they will follows the orders to bring those that they capture in," he said, Ichigo nodding his head. "I would stay away from Kurotsuchi and his ilk. I do not think that he will let you go without doing something or another to you," he warned.

"Why do you keep him around?" Ichigo groaned, Yamamoto scowling in return, shaking his head.

"Never enough proof to get rid of him fully but the moment that I can, he's going back to the Maggots Nest if not full out executed," the sou-taicho rumbled, scowling heavily before sighing softly. "If you can give me that information from his own notes and reports, I will take care of him for good," he promised, Ichigo smirked, a dark flash shining in his eyes.

"Oh, Sebastian will give you the proof that you so need to take care of him. I know a few Quincy's who have a bone to pick with the little bastard for what he did to their families," Ichigo drawled, remembering the last conversation between him and Ryuken before they had come to the Soul Society. "But for now we must work on fixing what the unbalance. Or at least start it. I have no doubt that my mortal body will give out before the balance will be fixed though. But I also have no doubt that it will make it so that you will not have to worry about the Soul King waking from his sleep before it is time."

"Hopefully so, my grandchild. We do not want the three worlds to unbalance to such a point as that he wakens," Yamamoto sighed, shaking his head, rubbing at his beard with a sigh.

"We will work on that once we work on seeing where this will go. Since we do not know what the wanting traitors are working towards, we must set our sights on one goal at a time," Ichigo said, standing up, closing the file in his hand and sliding it away. "For now, we watch and plan. Everything will start in three days. When the alarms sound out, give your people this speech. It shall cover everything that needs to be covered and you'll be able to figure out for sure who would be willing to help and who would cause you trouble," he continued, handing over two pieces of paper before shoving his file back into his bag.

"I shall see you soon then, my grandchild," Yamamoto hummed, smiling as Ichigo nodded his head. Smiling, the three men left via the same windows that they had used for their entries before, leaving the man to sit back in his seat and think about what was going to come next.


	31. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 32

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 32

Characters: Sado, Orihime, Uryu

Word count: 1,506

Warnings: none really, but some mpreg

AN: Just some filler for the world. Enjoy.

* * *

Staring out at the world around them, Orihime sighed softly and shook her head with a frown dancing on her full lips. "I am not happy about this," she sighed, getting looks from the two males with her.

"Oh?" Sado rubbled, scratching at the goatee that he sported, brown eyes gazing at his female lover, Uryu writing something down in a notebook, scowling down at it.

"Something just doesn't feel right," she said, looking at the two men. "I mean, I know that it didn't feel right from the start of it all but now? Now it's like the world is waiting, holding it's breath as it waits for what is to come," she continued, walking over to her companions.

The three of them were wearing simple kimonos, much like any other citizen of the Soul Society, working easily to blend in with the people. They posed as merchants who were looking to barter and trade with others for their own stalls outside of the Seireitei';s walls while also bringing in things that they wanted into Seireitei. It worked and they had gotten close enough to a few people around that they were able to find out what they wanted. The people were treated well enough but there was a serious shifting of balance going on, the clans working harder to gain more power. And getting it without much resistance. Which meant that there was hatred growing within the lower people. They had a feeling that a resistance movement was going to happen soon if things weren't taken cared of.

"I know how you feel," Ishida sighed, shaking his head as he finished with writing down what they had learned so that they could report in full back to Sebastian and the others. "There is more going on here outside of the coming traitors," he continued, shaking his head and sliding the notebook into his bag, standing up to come stand next to Orihime. He had to admit that when he had gotten to know them, he hadn't been expecting to find enjoyable partners. They knew it wasn't permanent, the young Qunicy having his eyes on someone much older than they were, but for the moment it helped to relax them. Release the tension so to speak and give them all experience in something that they trusted no one else with.

"We just need to keep to the plan and move forward," Sado hummed, pulling Orihime close and wrapping his arms around her waist. Sighing, she relaxed and stroked her hands over his arms. "We need to focus on one problem at a time and trust that Ichigo and his people know what they are doing."

"Trusting demons and Grim Reapers," Ishida sighed, sitting down next to them and pressing against their sides. "Ichigo...he's easy to trust. Something about him just draws you in and refuses to let you go," he continued, eyes flicking to the ground below him to watch the people walking about so that they could get things done. "He's truthful and real, unlike so many that we met." He groaned, shaking his head as Sado hummed next to him, running a hand through his hair.

"We just need to take it one day at a time," Sado told the two of them, gazing down at the stalls as mothers hunted for the best fruits that they could buy for their families. A man smiled and happily bargained with a pretty woman, her stomach pregnant and heavy as she looked at the plums he was offering. "It's surprising to see them pregnant considering they are souls," he finally mused.

"Didn't Urahara-san tell us that was the way new souls were created?" Orihime asked, tapping her bottom lip.

Uryuu nodded his head. "Yeah. My...grandfather told me once that when an old soul left to join the stream of life completely, having learned all they could and wanting to rest, to spread their knowledge out, a new soul was created, blessed to a family that would give them a good start. Some families were making it, able to barely support their child but loving, while others were clans who needed their lines to continue. At least ten souls rejoin the stream a day," he mused.

Orihime blinked before looking down at the stalls once more. "Do you think it's like that for Grim Reapers?" she asked innocently.

"I think it applies to both sets of power," Sado rumbled before standing up, offering his hand to Orihime and drawing her up before drawing Uryuu up to his feet. "We must join the others soon to find out what will be happening next," he hummed, his companions nodding their head before they turned to head for the stairs that lead down and around the back of the building.

"Both sides of powers? What do you mean by that?" Uryuu asked, walking behind Sado and gazing around.

"For both Grim Reapers and Shinigami," Sado hummed, "when one of them dies, they have the choice to start a new living life or joining the life-stream to help create a new soul. Grell-san told me about how much Shinigami and Grim Reapers are alike. They can even create children between them."

Orihime tilted her head as they stepped onto solid ground and paused at the end of the alleyway. "Do you think Kurosaki-san and Spears-san will be able to have a baby?" she asked, watching as a young male, who felt much like a shinigami, walk past them with a visible protruding stomach. Uryuu and Sado shared a look before snorting.

"If Spears-san is able to knock him up, he will have many a person to deal with considering Ichigo's heritage," Uryuu drawled, smirking slightly. "Kuchiki on his mother's side in one life, full blooded Quincy in her living life; Yamamoto as his grandfather with the Shiba Clan on his father's side and of course an aunt that was lost but is now found…" he ticked off, shaking his head with some amusement. "He's a walking clan in and of himself."

"He is," Sado drawled. "If they were able to have a child the child would be highly prized but also sought after for it's future power, both political and spiritual," he continued, shaking his head. "Ichigo would end up overly protective of his child, just like he had been of his sisters."

"I believe that Spears-san would make a wonderful daddy," Orihime chirped before they slipped into the hidden entrance that would take them to the tunnels that connected to the Shiba Clan main house. "He's very loving, if not rather firm."

"He would be but I don't think those two will be making any children until Ichigo-san leaves his living life fully," Uryuu stated as they walked into the tunnels, the three lapsing into silence as they thought of what it would mean for the Soul Society if Ichigo had children. They all silently agreed that things would be turned upside down and inside out.

"What do you think they have planned?" Sado asked, trying to turn the conversation from something that was messing with his mind in such away. He didn't want to think about his friend pregnant, not yet. They were still young after all and had many a year before them.

"Probably something that will get us right in the middle of everything and with front row seats," Uryuu drawled as they headed down the tunnels, rolling his eyes as he pushed his glasses up. "I have no doubt that it will be something that has been planned down to the finest detail with several backup plans that we'll need to learn."

"I wouldn't doubt it," Orihime hummed, rubbing at her bottom lip in thought, Sado watching the movement with a small smile on his lips. "Michaelis-san, Phantomhive-san and Spears-san all seem as if they are the type to plan everything with contingency plans. They wouldn't want anything to go wrong, especially since they are all so close to Kurosaki-san and the fact that he is in the middle of it all," she hummed.

"Indeed," Uryuu hummed, brushing a bit of Orihime's hair back out of her face before smiling. "We are just going to have to trust in them and what they are planning on doing here soon."

"And help them in all that they need to," Orihime hummed, Sado and Uryuu nodding their heads in agreement as they walked into the basement of the house. They all had to smile as they found Ichigo was huffing at Grell's hair while his own was being braided by an amused looking Sebastian. Ciel was drinking a cup of tea with William, tea cups waiting for the three to arrive along with snacks for while they talked business.

It was a nice feeling, warm and comforting, to be able to come to something so domesticated and welcoming even in the midst of all that was happening around them.


	32. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 33

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 33

Characters: Sado, Orihime, Uryu

Word count: 1,669

Warnings: none really

AN: Here, chapter. I'm exhausted. *whines and flops*

* * *

Dropping down into the alley way and sliding into the doorway, Rukia hid it quickly from everyone and walking down towards the edge of the Shiba compound. She walked out of it just inside of the wall and looked around. "Sado-san?" she called quietly, tilting her head up when Sado dropped down onto the ground before her. "Hey."

"Hey," he greeted, nodding his head with an amused smile on his lips before he waved to a hidden alcove. The two settled down on the bench within it and Rukia pulled out a small notepad to go over the things that needed to be checked over with the larger man. "Are you doing okay?" he asked.

"Yeah I am. Though it's odd. Here I am, going on about my day and all I can do is think that something is going on that's not supposed to. It's really odd," Rukia hummed softly, shaking her head with a sigh. "I don't know, but I really don't want to think about the rot that is there, but no one can see. It's really messed up," she continued, stretching very slowly before relaxing with a hum. "What about you guys? Are you doing okay?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"We're doing pretty good," Sado replied, nodding his head with a slight smile on his lips. "I have no doubt that things will be getting very busy very soon," he admitted. "The final plans are being figured out now, even while I'm talking with you and updating all the things and the such," he continued, shrugging as he tilted his head to gaze at the young Shinigami next to him. "Are you going to be able to do your part of this?"

Rukia frowned heavily before nodding her head with a sigh. "Yeah, I'll be able to do my part, there is no doubt that I will be able to," she promised. Sitting back on the bench, she sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I do not like lying to my friends or to my brother. I do not want to upset either of them really," she sighed, running a hand through her hair.

Sado hummed and nodded. "We know. We don't want you to have to lie to them either but unfortunately…"

"It's needed," she finished, Sado nodding his head. "Yeah, I know. I've been kind of feeling them out but I really don't know what they're going to think all things considered," she continued.

"All you can do is try to explain everything to them and hope that they understand," Sado said, Rukia shaking her head with a rueful smile on her lips. "From what I have heard about your brother though it is probably best you do not speak with him about any of this. It seems as if the elders have a tight watch on him."

Rukia gazed up at him before smiling softly. "You see more then you speak of, Sado-san," she hummed, Sado shrugging one shoulder. "So far, it seems as if my friends are agreeing with me that something is going on that is not good and would hurt us all if we're not sure," she continued. "I think Ichigo-san and Grell-san were spotted when they had gone to the Great Archives. Or at least when they were coming back to the house. Yumichika has been poking around and asking questions about anyone with bright red shades of hair."

"I will have to warn them to be more careful when they go out next," Sado hummed, running a hand through his hair with a frown on his lips. "It's a bad thing if he sends someone into looking for people with hair so distinctive. We don't want them to come looking just yet after all."

"It would put things in jeopardy. Yeah, I get that," Rukia hummed, shaking her head with a frown on her lips. "I'll talk with him about what he saw. He likes me well enough," she said, shrugging one shoulder."

"Indeed. Uryuu and I helped Sebastian-san and Ciel-san go over files of all the key players that we think will jump in on this shit," Sado told her, ignoring the cocked eyebrow from her at his choice of words. "The one that you that you call Yumichika, he is the fifth seat of the Eleventh right?" he asked. Rukia nodded her head, making him smirk. "Feel him out. See what he thinks of the way things are run." The suggestion made her hum softly in thought.

"I can try." Rukia smirked. "But it might take me a while to do so because he's so good at hiding what he's really thinking," she continued.

Sado chuckled softly. "I'm sure that you'll be able to figure it all out with a little thought," he drawled in return, getting a snort from her. "I have no doubt that you'll be able to get things in order and get them going." Clapping his hand on her shoulder gently, Sado stood and looked out of their alcove, smiling softly when he saw that Uryuu was perched in a tree, watching them carefully, not wanting any of them to be discovered or found just yet. So Uryuu stayed, watching and making sure that no one would find them while they talked.

Sado was grateful for the young Quincy's presence at the moment.

"Is that Ishida-san?" Rukia asked, tilting her head to the other man before gazing up at her friend.

"Yeah. He's watching to make sure we're not found. He has better sensing outside of Sebastian-san and Ciel-san," Sado stated, stepping back into the alcove, shoving a hand through his hair with a sigh. "As I said, I'm sure that you will be able to do what you need to do without to much worry," he continued, returning to their conversation. "You are our inside person right now, Rukia-san, and your part is a most important part while we finish the planning."

Rukia sighed before looking out at the wild garden and frowned heavily. "You know, I always thought that the Seireitei was something amazing, a shining light in a world of darkness and hunger while I was a kid out in the Rukigon districts," she said, smirking bitterly. "Then, me and Renji joined the academy, hoping to better our lives. We landed in different classes, granted, but we were still friends. Then Byakuya-sama found me, took me in as his sister because of the dying request of a sister that I never knew," she said, shaking her head. "And I started to notice things but I couldn't tell anyone. Every eye was watching me, Byakuya-sama's only known heir to the head of the clan, so I dared not say what I saw. I hid who I was like I was taught in my private lessons, distanced myself from everyone around me and tried to ignore the things that happened around us. But now that I know what lays beneath the prettiness of this world there is so much rot, I find myself unable to keep up my masks without pain in my heart."

Sado tilted his head to the side and gazed down at her with a soft look on his face. "I can understand that. Thinking about what they know and what they don't," he said, Rukia nodding her head.

"Yeah. I look at the taicho's and I ask myself who knows how deep the corruption goes, I ask how it could have gotten so deep into the very fabric of the Seireitei and then I have to ask myself if my brother knows about it." Rukia slumped against the wall that she was standing next to. "It hurts to think that my brother has helped this rot to grow and deepen. But I don't know if he does know or not."

"You will not know until everything is said and done, I believe," Sado said, reaching out to pat his with a soft smile. "For now, go and start your part as we put the final touches on the plans," he told her, Rukia nodding and standing straight.

"I shall do so. Good luck to everyone," she said before slipping out of the alcove before disappearing into the tunnel that would let her out into a private alleyway. Once she was gone, Sado set out, Uryuu dropping down next to him before they entered the mansion and headed down the stairs.

"Everything ready on her end?" Sebastian asked when he looked up from the maps before him as Ciel and Ichigo wrote things down, William and Grell creating a few extra warding strips for them all to carry around. Just never know when one needed to create a safe place after all.

"She's going to start tonight. She's going to talk with someone who may have seen Ichigo and Grell when they were coming back from the Great Archives," he warned, Ichigo nodding his head.

"Has he been saying anything?" Ichigo asked, standing straight as he gazed at his friend, Orihime appearing with a tray full of iced tea for them.

"Who has been saying what?" Orihime asked as she passed out the tea cups with a curious look on his face.

"Grell and I were spotted when we were coming back. Who saw us?" Ichigo asked, turning from Orihime to Sado.

"Someone named Yumichika. Apparently all that he has been doing is ask some basic questions and the such but won't say anything. He just brushes it off," Sado replied, sitting down on a chair before humming, rolling his shoulders with a huff.

"From all of our information, he won't say a thing," Ciel stated, sitting down with a smirk. "We shall continue on with our plans. Orihime, Uryuu, you two shall be first I believe," he stated, everyone looking at the plans that were spread out before them.


	33. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 34

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 34

Characters: Rukia, Renji, Shuuhei

Word count: 1,353

Warnings: none really

AN: Ugh, but fun times. Enjoy.

Edit: Quick edit to fix something that is kind of jarring when you read it. Had to fix it.

* * *

"I still can't believe that it took us nearly two weeks to get you to come out with us," Renji sniffed as he put down bottles of beer down on the table. Beer itself was new to the Seireitei, but it was enjoyed by the Shinigami that came to visit the bar when they didn't want to drink something as strong as sake.

"I've been busy, Renji, you numbskull," Rukia snorted, downing part of her beer before putting it down on the table again. "I had shit to deal with concerning the elders and of course all the paperwork that comes from being in the Living World and having to come back nearly two weeks before the end of the mission," she continued, huffing softly and shaking her head.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Shuuhei grunted, thinking about all of the paperwork that came with his position as the fukutaicho of the Ninth Division. He groaned at the thought of it and drained half of his bottle with a grunt. "So you've been doing paperwork and dealing with your family, huh?" he asked.

Rukia nodded her head as she swirled her bottle around with a sigh. "Yeah. It's been a hellish week, especially since I've heard a few things that I never wanted to learn about our world," she admitted, sounding reluctant to talk, putting on an act. She didn't want to lie to her friends but knew that if she didn't, at least at the moment, things would become a mess that none of them were ready to deal with.

"Things?" Renji asked as he sat back, gazing at Rukia and hitching one tattooed eyebrow upwards. "What things?"

He heard things, everyone did when they had contacts in the Rukigon districts. Especially contacts that could hunt down information better than the Second Division or the Thirteenth Divisions Information corps, as much as everyone denied them being around. He had heard about something rotten going on, Shuuhei to, but they hadn't thought that such rumors would have reached Rukia with the way her family was.

"Yeah. I...there's things that I've seen as a daughter of the Kuchiki Clan that I couldn't really talk about but in the last year or so things have eased up for me in regards to them watching me like a hawk," she hummed, playing with the bottle before her. "But I see things that most wouldn't want me to see. I see meetings happening without any other person knowing about them…" she trailed off, worry dripping from her tone. "I, of course, just can't go around and tell everyone around here. I would either be told to shut up, forced to shut up or would...just disappear." The last words were whispered softly before she drained her beer, the truth heavy on her tongue.

Shuuei and Renji shared looks before Shuuhei stood up. "I'm going to get food before we have this conversation. We're going to need food and more drinks," he stated. Rukia pulled out a purse that she had tucked away into her kosode and taking out some money, handing it to her friend. He opened his mouth before snapping his mouth shut at the glare that she sent his way, going to get enough food and drinks for them to get them through the coming conversation.

Once food had been delivered, enough to feed them through the coming conversation, Shuuhei and Renji stared at their friend as she picked up a slice of red bell pepper and dipped it into some warm sauce. "Like I said, you guys, I see meetings that shouldn't happen, ever," she said finally after eating the slice. Cleaning her fingers on a napkin, she looked at the two. "The Kuchiki Elders tend to often meet with those I think are part of the Central 46. I could point them out to you but we so rarely see them out in the public that I doubt that it would be easy," she said.

"They're not supposed to be talking with anyone from the clans unless they're taichos," Renji said, remembering that particular law. "And only a few of the current taichos are actually clan heads, and only Kuchiki-taicho is the head of one of the Four Noble Clans," he stated, pointing a finger that wiggled between his two friends.

"I know," Rukia said, lips thinning as she rolled her shoulders. "I hate that they think that they can just break the laws that were set down for good reasons…" She sighed, rubbing at her face before snagging a mozzarella stick and giving her friends a look. Shuuhei and Renji snagged their own snacks and waited for her to continued. "You guys...I talked with the guy that I found," she admitted quietly, leaning forward. "He and his guardians? They told me just what was going on and that their companions, who are Grim Reapers, are worried about the part of the Living World that we control and the balance of the area."

"What do you mean by that?" Shuuhei asked, eyebrows furrowing as he ate one of the sticks, wondering just what the slim female before him was saying.

"Haven't you noticed? We're heading out for more hollows every year, starting nearly thirteen years ago. Well, more like nearly a hundred years before, but it really picked up nearly thirteen years ago," she said, letting the two men think about it.

"Shit, you're right," Renji grunted, downing the bottle of beer in his hand and put it to the side for a waitress or busboy to come pick up along with Rukia's bottle. "Doesn't that kind of coincide with our graduation?"

"Your graduation you mean. I ended up with private tutors remember?" Rukia snorted, wiggling a french fry at him before eating it as Shuuhei went for some sushi instead of the other foods.

"I graduated the year before and the statistics classes I had taken had started to talk about how things were getting over time," Shuuhei admitted, shrugging a shoulder. "But yeah, now that you've mentioned it, it has been getting worse. About five more hollows on average every six months or so," he continued, remembering the new statistics that he had collected for the next news round. "We're starting to have to send more people out to do the purifications and burials," he continued, shaking his head with a grunt.

"Exactly. Things are out of balance. I have a feeling though that things will be changing in a most unexpected way," Rukia hummed, snagging some food and just putting it onto a plate before her. "I can feel it. It shivers and waits for the right moment to pounce," she continued.

"She's right," Renji said, huffing as he sat back with a frown on his lips, reaching out a bit to nab some food for himself. "Things are going on that we don't know about and it's going to change things like nothing else. So...do you know what's going to happen?" he asked, pinning Rukia with his eyes, getting a smirk from her.

"Do tell us, Rukia, what you know and how we can help this unbalance," Shuuhei chuckled, smirking at their female companion as she tried to pull off an innocent look.

"Well, I may have talked to the two demons that are the guardian of the guy that I was supposedly following. And it may have been the guy who approached me first. And it may be those three, three extraordinary ryoka and two Grim Reapers who will turn everything on it's head," she cooed, smirking at them. Shuuhei and Renji lent forward and smirked at her. "Of course, if you ever say anything about any of these maybes I'll deny it and use my last name to my best advantage," she promised.

"Yeah, no worries. Who would believe a couple of Rukigon rats anyways?" Shuuhei snickered, waving a hand. "So, tell us all of these hypothetical scenarios," he purred.

Rukia chuckled and told them what they needed to know.


	34. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 36

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 36

Characters: Ciel, Sebastian, Renji, Shuuhei, Grell

Word count: 1,496

Warnings: Talk of death and what will happen

AN: Still tired but I'm working on getting this posted. Enjoy all.

* * *

It was like watching a well practiced dance in Renji's opinion. Granted, a deadly dance that involved zanpactou's, kidos, and kicks and punches, but a dance nonetheless. Ichigo was going up against his zanpactou, a being that looked young with semi-longish hair and a jacket that was ragged on the bottom, but was a powerful being with a bit of hollow instinct.

Ichigo had admitted that sometimes there was a whisper of the hollow that could have been, just a tickle and suggestion in the back of his mind. And didn't that beat all? He had all of the benefits of having a hollow but none of the actual drawbacks, including having to fight to stay as the main being in possession of the body.

Currently Ichigo was looking a bit more pale, training to use that hollow taint. His skin had flushed white, becoming more resistant to cuts and attacks, his eyes more honey than chocolate. A streak of white matched his zanpactou's in his brightly colored hair and made him wonder just how tight Ichigo and his zanpactou spirit actually was.

"You're thinking rather hard," a cultured English voice drawled from beside him, giving the Japanese words a decidedly interesting tilt. Renji shook his head and turned to the young male next to him, one blue and one purple eye gazing back in return.

"Ah, yeah," Renji hummed, turning to watch as Ichigo skidded across the floor on the balls of his feet before using the momentum to turn the skid into several flips that landed him on a large boulder. "I just wasn't really expecting him to be so well trained," he said, looking to Ciel as the young demon raised an eyebrow.

"Sebastian and I have been Ichigo's guardians for the last three years, Abarai. We wanted to make sure that he was well and truly trained so we took that power and trained him to use it even in his living body," Ciel said, shrugging and tasting the wine in his cup, Sebastian standing near them and looking highly amused. "Grell and William have also been helping him learn and train. He knows how to fight with several types of weapons and in several styles. He's taken to combining moves, practicing them until he gets them smooth and easy."

"It took him nearly two years to master half of his techniques, but once he did master something, he continued to learn and practice as needed. He doesn't stop learning and practicing," Sebastian drawled as he sat near them, Grell sitting off to the side and muttering about never leaving his chainsaw around if Ichigo was pissed off again.

"He's even learned how to wield William's and Grell's weapons, even Grell's small scissors if that's all he could get his hands on," Ciel chuckled softly and shook his head.

"Yeah, but when he does, he tends to use them as a stabbing implement," Grell snorted, flashing a sharp tooth smile at them before flipping over onto his hands and knees, crawling over to them before leaning against Ciel. "Though, I did love how he used them to stab out the practice dummies eye before jabbing them further inwards to kill them completely with a nice hard kick."

"He takes after Ciel in the regards that he's not one to pull punches when it comes to doing what he needs to do, especially against those who killed his father and sisters," Ciel hummed, shaking his head with a sad look on his face.

"What exactly happened?" Renji asked softly as Ichigo and Zangetsu once more crossed swords in a flurry of clashes and growls. "Rukia said that even she doesn't know details," he admitted, shrugging one shoulder as Ciel hummed. Shuuhei and William walked over to them, having been going over the warding seals together and talking about how things were going on from the perspective of a fukutaicho.

"What are we speaking of now?" William asked as he came to sit next to Renji, nodding when Sebastian held up a glass in offer.

"We are speaking of what happened to Ichigo's family," Sebastian said, pouring the wine and handing over the glass with a nod. "As to the exact details, we don't know them all right now. We can put the information together, get a general picture of it but...we're not sure as to who did it."

"We know that whoever it was did it under orders from someone not the sou-taicho, which means that they broke a basic law of the Seireitei's base. We also know that it was someone from the Second Division, but again, we're not sure as to who it was," Grell drawled, shrugging one shoulder. "Ichigo found their bodies actually."

"He did?" Shuuhei asked, eyebrows furrowed together as he nodded and took the wine glass offered to him. At that moment, he would have preferred sake but the sweet wine would help him listen to what they were about to hear.

"Indeed," William sighed, rubbing at his face. "He and his classmates had just gotten back from a two week field trip to Tokyo. His uncle had dropped him off at the house. Keep in mind that we didn't know that Ichigo had other family in the world, his mother having never said a damn thing about him before hand. We found out that rather interesting bit of information watching her reels," he said, Sebastian and Ciel sharing looks.

"We knew of him but not his name," Ciel hummed before shrugging. "Anyways, he was unlucky enough to find them soon after they had died. Undertaker, another Grim Reaper friend of ours, was able to collect their souls. Right now, they are resting, regathering their strength before they are placed in a safe place," he continued.

"I see," Renji hummed, he and Shuuhei turning to watch Ichigo fight against his zanpactou. The red head rubbed at his jaw line with the back of his hand as he thought. "He's fighting the physical manifestation of Zangetsu to become stronger right? To reinforce the bond between them right?" he asked.

"Yes, that's correct," William hummed. "Grim Reapers don't have a spirit like the Shinigami but we do have quite a bit of power that we do need to control over time. To do this is to fight a physical manifestation of ourselves, our very being. Urahara thought that it would work with Ichigo and the bond that he shares with Zangetsu."

"So, he fights and he learns his weaknesses and he gets stronger," Shuuhei mused, Grell waving his wine glass with a smile.

"Right in one," Grell chuckled. "He has a driving force to get better, to stop what happened to him from happening to any others," he said, "so he works on getting better every day. And he works on mastering his powers as much as he can. Hell, to do that, he's learned how to bind his powers, only allowing a fraction of his power to be usable to learn how to control it all. He's gotten quite good hasn't he?" he asked, smiling slightly as Ichigo's skin flushed his normal skin tone and he dropped to the ground, blowing out a slow breath Zangetsu stood near him and watched him carefully.

"It's amazing what could happen in only a few months," Ciel hummed. "With his previous training, this is just putting that old training to a new use. He's a strong young man and one that will shake this world to its very foundations."

"Isn't that what you want to do though? Shake things up? Change things so that the balance is fixed again?" Shuuhei asked, raising an eyebrow at the young demon.

"Yes, but our first priority is protecting Ichigo and his priority is getting rid of those who killed his family," Sebastian stated, eyes darkening to a dried blood color. "If we do more than that it is because it is a part of our first mission," he continued, shaking his head. "We will try to do this with no casualties of those who are innocent, but we do not make promises."

"We can understand that," Renji hummed, nodding his head as he stood up with a grunt, stretching his arms very slowly over his head. "We'll help you guys and I know that Rukia is willing to help in anyway that she can. Just...tell us what the plan is? Or at least the start of it all?" he asked. Shuuhei nodded sharply, the others sharing speaking looks before Ciel smirked slowly.

"Very well. It shall start by getting captured," Ciel drawled before outlining what would happen, Ichigo joining them only to eat something before going back to his training.

They had so much to plan for and so much to prepare for after all. And now they had even more allies.


	35. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 37

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 37

Characters: Tosen, Aizen, Gin

Word count: 1,716

Warnings: Just talking about things

AN: We're setting things up here. :D Which is good. We're seeing the bad guys here and getting into their heads. Things shall be interesting that's for sure!

* * *

"Ye're thinkin' hard there, Aizen-sama," Gin drawled as he walked into the office, arms tucked into the taicho's haori that he wore, smile ever present on his lips. Aizen hummed and turned away from his contemplation of the outside world past his window, brown eyes taking in his subordinate. The younger male was smiling, his eyes hidden from the rest of the world while silver hair fell down over his forehead, giving him a much more fox like look.

Aizen shook his head in some amusement and waved a hand to the small table that was already set with a tea set and snacks. "Please, sit, Gin. We are just waiting for Tosen," he said, standing and pulling off the brown sweater that sat on his shoulders and placed it onto a coat rack before taking a seat as Gin sat at the small table. "How have things been going in your division?" he asked, tilting his head as he poured hot water from the plugged in kettle over a tea strainer.

Gin chuckled and tilted his head. "Aww, are ya worried 'bout me?" he asked, blinking at the other and trying to pull off an innocent look that just didn't come off correctly.

"Hardly but I do care about you, Gin," Aizen chuckled softly, handing the tea over and placing a few of the cookies onto a plate, setting it there along side the tea.

"I know, Aizen-sama," Gin chuckled, nodding his head in thanks, sliding tea cup and plate closer, watching as the water darkened as the tea steeped. "Did little Momo-chan make ya some cookies?" he asked curiously.

"She did indeed. She knew that I have a meeting with you and Tosen set up for today during our lunch and she was nice enough to make snacks," Aizen drawled, smiling slightly, a hidden edge to it as he rolled his shoulders in some amusement. "But do tell me how things are going."

"It's going well enough all things considered, Aizen-taicho," Gin drawled, chuckling as he removed the tea strainer and placed it onto a small platter used just for that purpose. "Kira-chan is doing pretty good as my fukutaicho and has been since I scooped his pretty little head up. He's been a good addition and helps makes things run smoothly," he continued, biting into one of the cookies and humming. "Kind of dry."

"Any kind of cookie that does not require mass amounts of butter seem to be a sore point for Momo-fukutaicho," Aizen drawled as Tosen slid the door open and stepped inside, closing it behind him and activating the privacy wardings.

"What seems to be a sore point?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as he sat down at the table, finding his way despite being unable to see. He knew the office just as well as he knew his own having been there enough times and not needing to use his reiryoku to get around.

"Momo-chan's inability to make a good cookie that doesn't involve a lot of butter," Gin drawled as Aizen made Tosen a cup of tea and offered him two of the cookies. "Did ya hear about our own little Kuchiki's report?" he asked, tasting his tea and finding it perfect.

"We did," Tosen stated, nodding his head in thanks as he took the tea cup and cookies. "It is surprising to hear about a child being raised by creatures that we weren't able to find," he said.

"Indeed. I believe though that she may have run across the very male that we have been looking for all of these years," Aizen stated, smiling very slightly as he made his own cup of tea. "We wondered where our dear Ichigo disappeared off to since it was as if someone was stopping us from even finding mentions of him, both here and in the living world," he continued, tapping his fingers on the table. "I take it you've both have received the summons to the taicho's meeting to discuss the letter?"

"Of course," Gin chirped, chuckling softly as Tosen scowled in his direction as he placed his own strainer down onto the plate and broke one cookie in half with the same hand.

"Do you think we will get the full details or not?" Tosen asked, turning to face Aizen, directing the question to him. Aizen hummed softly in thought as he stirred a bit of sugar into his tea.

"I do not know. I know that the basic details is that they did move out of Karakura town during a two to three hour period where Kuchiki-san wasn't watching over them, so that tells me either they are exiled Shinigami, or…" he trailed, Gin's eyebrow twitching upwards the only sign of his curiosity. "Or they aren't Shinigami but rather Demons. Grim Reapers are fast but not quite that fast when it comes to getting everything packed and ready to go. Demons on the other hand, are very good at moving out at a moments notice, their powers allowing them do so when they have no master that puts a leash on their abilities."

"So it is possible that he is with demons? How would they have even find him?" Tosen asked, looking curious as to how demons would have found Ichigo, much less his family.

"I think they woulda found him like they find all their prey," Gin drawled, finishing off one cookie before brushing his fingers together with a snicker. "They just follow the pleas and angst of a hurting soul wantin' revenge," he continued, Tosen conveying his glare quite easily despite how blind he was.

"It is not quite as simple as that, Ichimaru," Tosen stated, sneering at the other male before turning to Aizen when he chuckled softly.

"Actually, yes, it can be. If the pain and need for revenge is powerful enough, especially fueled by hatred and pain. Along with the tang of pure power? Makes for wonderful demon bait," Aizen said, the two of them making inquiring sounds as to what he meant. "Imagine this, our dear young Kurosaki has just found his father and sisters. Just murdered by some unknown assailant, power dancing over their bodies because no matter how much training one has, we do tend to leave a bit of power lingering."

"So angstin' away, he calls a demon to himself to help find out who killed his baby sister's and his daddy dearest, leavin' him all alone in the big, wide world," Gin continued for him, Aizen nodding his head. "Why is it that a demon goes for the ones that are hurtin'?" he wondered.

"I have spoken to a few demons in my time, learning of the ways of Hueco Mundo and the imbalance of this world and they all say that the pain and anger of revenge makes the soul sweeter," Aizen replied. "Of course, this all depends upon the soul itself. There is also the matter of how pure the soul is. Killing, sex, hate, love, pain and pleasure, everything leaves a mark upon ones very being. The purer the soul the sweeter it is. The darker souls tend to leave behind a bit of an ashy taste, or so I'm told, and those souls that are made of evil and nonredeemable are like maggots and worms."

"So a pure soul is like a perfectly done cupcake. All pretty and spongy. But a soul dipped in sins is like a pile of rotten garbage," Gin summarized.

"Indeed," Aizen chuckled. "And young Kurosaki's soul will be sweet indeed for those demons. He was a sweet child and one that protected those who couldn't protect themselves," he continued, rolling his shoulders. "Along with his power, his soul would be a highly prized treat."

Tosen grunted and finished off his first cookie and draining his tea. "So we think that she perhaps found them but tipped them off?" he asked after a few minutes.

"That is correct," Aizen said, nodding his head as he tasted his tea before humming softly in pleasure at the blend.

"What do ya think they were doin' in Karakura?" Gin asked, curious about the man's thoughts. His mind was processing the information at a rate that would have given most headaches, but he knew that there was something more going on. He had known it for many a year when he had first started to follow after Aizen. The man wanted to change things, set things right once more but lately it had gotten to a point where it was as if the older male had lost his original path.

It was worrisome to Gin, his blue eyes slitting open a bit more before closing to their normal size once more.

"I think they may have been there to settle things with Kurosaki's family estate, if anything. My spies have noticed that people were going in and out of the house for a time there, cleaning by the looks of things, but then nothing at all," Aizen hummed. He poured more tea for himself when he found that he had finished his first cup.

Tosen stroked one richly colored cheek, the dark brown of his skin paling just a bit as the warning gongs rang out. "This is unexpected," he said finally, Aizen scowling heavily in displeasure at the meeting being interrupted by whatever it was. "Have either of you heard of anything happening?" he asked.

"No. This is something that was not seen and not planned for," Aizen said, standing up from the table. "Come, we must go meet with the other taichos as much as we do not wish to," he continued.

Gin nodded as he and his fellow taicho stood up, leaving the office to be cleaned up by a lower officer later on. His mind was whirling with what could have possibly happened that would send one of their people scrambling to set off the gong. He didn't like surprises and he knew Aizen didn't like them even worse than he. It was going to be a long, long day.

And he had a feeling that it would be a long, long night too.


	36. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 38

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 38

Characters: Taicho meeting

Word count: 1,770

Warnings: Just talking about things

AN: And Next post shall be the lovely start of all of this!

But first, I'm having to warn you guys. Due to real life being the way it is and me preparing for National Novel Writing Month that starts next month, I'm going to cut down to only posting twice a week for the next couple of months. This means on Monday's you'll get a post of this and on Fridays you'll get a post of a mini story.

This will change again after I finish November, or after the New Year, which ever happens first. If I happen to finish posting this fic before that time, I'll continue on with the posting schedule seeing as the next story is only 26 chapters long.

I'm sorry about this, I really am, but I need to have that time freed up for the moment. Hugs to you all!

Enjoy.

* * *

Despite the hustle and bustle outside that had been going on since the first gong had rang out, the taichos of the Gotei 13 were calm and collected. Mostly. Histugaya was glaring at everyone while Soi-Fon was muttering about being out there to bring the intruders in. Dead or alive, but preferably dead in her opinion.

"Silence!" Yamamoto yelled, his eyes dancing over the taichos before him, taking in their faces and the words that they had been talking. "Jūshirō-taicho, your division was the ones to spot the intruders, correct?" he asked, turning to a man with long, silver hair standing next to his brunet friend who wore a pink haori over his uniform and taichos haori.

"Ah, yes, my ninth seat did. She was out on a basic patrol around the grounds, training some of my newer recruits," Jūshirō said, shifting on his feet and frowning down at a report in his hand. "The patrol group was going past the walls between the Twelfth and the Thirteenth when they spotted five people who split up. One headed towards the Twelfth and Eleventh, a young man with dark hair and glasses. Their one female of the group left with him, while the other two, two red heads, one with sharp teeth, headed for what I can guess as the Tenth division. I believe that the red heads split up after a time though, the lighter of the two heading for the Tenth still while the one with the sharp teeth headed for the clan section of the Seireitei," he said, flipping through his notes with a heavy frown on his lips.

"Do we know where they are now?" Soi-fon asked, eyes narrowed in thought as she stared at Jūshirō .

"Not at the moment, no. Apparently they were able to give my people the slip after a bit of time," Jūshirō admitted. "They are new and still not that good at tracking yet after all," he stated, glaring at the look of disgust on her face. "We can not blame them for having them give her the slip when the intruders are quite obviously well trained themselves," he stated, making everyone mutter softly.

"So what are we to do with them?" Shunsui asked, tipping his hat back as he gazed at their sou-taicho who looked deep in thought.

Yamamoto finally tapped his cane on the floor very gently. "We will capture them. No killing them, no maiming them, just capturing them. I want them caught before we do anything else," he stated. "The Central 46 has nothing to do with this so if I find out that you disregarded my orders for theirs, I shall see to it that you punished." He paused, opening his eyes a bit more to swept a hard glare over the taichos before him. "Severely."

"Do we know anything about them outside of what was seen by Jūshirō -taicho's people?" Tosen asked, tilting his head to the side as Aizen shifted on his feet and frowned slightly. They both knew that no Shinigami would listen to a decree from the Central 46 since Yamamoto had assumed complete control of the intruders, as was his right as the sou-taicho, the leader of their military force. Which put a leash on any plans that they may have started out with.

Maruyi stepped forward and waved some papers around. "The moment we heard the gongs we started to sweep the recordings for the intruders. We do have pictures of them, and very basic readings since we have very little time to actually see them," he stated, handing out the papers. "Nemu was able to create these before we came here for the meeting. Each subject is labeled with a letter and observations of them."

"So we see," Gin drawled, reading over the information. "Subject A. Approximate age: 18. Hair color: fire red. So specific. Eye color: brown. Height: approximately five eight to five nine. Zanpactou on back suggests an unknown shinigami. Suggestion is to watch and ambush," he said.

"Subject B," Aizen picked up. "Female. Approximate age: 18. Hair color: Caramel brown. Eye color: grey. Height: approximately five five to five seven. Human. Spiritual power level reading unknown at this time."

"Subject C. Quincy. Male. Approximate age: 18. Hair color: black. Eye color: blue," Hitsugaya read off, clicking his tongue. "Approximate height: five eight to five nine. Subject D. Unknown male. Approximate age: 25. Hair color: bloody red. Eye color: fluorescent green eyes. Approximate height: five five to five eight. Notes: possibly a rogue Grim Reaper. Suggestions is to send a letter to the offices of the Grim Reapers and find out if someone went rogue."

"I've seen him before, I think," Shunsui mused, tapping the picture of Subject D. "He's flamboyant but very strong in battle. He came to help with that influx of deaths back about ten years ago, and took out quite a few hollows with his customized death scythe," he continued, waving the papers a bit. "He's also scary smart and unpredictable. If he's helping, we'd take care not to piss him off or hurt anyone that he likes."

"Why do you say that?" Soi-Fon asked, eyebrow cocking as she sneered at her fellow taicho.

"I say that because it's the truth. The guy would chop you into little pieces and laugh about it if you pushed him," Shunsui stated. "A hollow almost got me when we were clearing them out from the soul collection and this Grim Reaper just destroyed it by going at him, taking him out in bits and pieces."

"Subject D and Subject A have some long ass hair, that's for sure," Gin drawled, eyeing the pictures before flipping through the pages and finding better pictures of the four. His eyebrows hitched upwards towards his hairline in surprise at seeing just how long the braid fell. "Really long in A's case," he chuckled, the other taicho's looking to the pictures.

"All of them wear such odd clothing, especially subject A. With the zanpactou on his back, one would think that he would be wearing a shihakusho," Byakuya mused from his place beside Aizen, holding up the picture and tapping on it. Indeed, everyone noticed that the long haired male wasn't wearing a shihakusho instead something much different and in colors that seemed to compliment his coloring. "Why is that I wonder?"

"And to have such a large zanpakuto is unheard of. Could it be that it is in constant shikai?" Hitsugaya asked, teal eyes narrowed at the picture as he thought about what it meant to have such a large zanpactou. Something caught his eye, a symbol that sat on his belt and trailed down over his hip before disappearing. "The hell is that?" he asked.

Jūshirō and Shunsui squinted at the marking that Hitsugaya pointed out before sharing a look. "You don't think…?" the silver haired male asked, the other taichos all gazing at them in curiosity. In some cases, ill-hidden curiosity.

"Well, he has his cheekbones and the only clan that I've ever seen who can get away with hair like that would be them," Shunsui hummed, rubbing at a stubbled cheek.

"What is it, Kyoraku-taicho? Ukitake-taicho?" Yamamoto asked, mentally smirking at the fact that his two brightest students had caught the insignia that sat on Ichigo's belt for all to see.

Shushui cleared his throat and pointed to the mark. "This. It looks like the insignia of the Shiba clan. A firework exploding with a tail," he said, everyone looking at the picture. Byakuya's eyes widened a fraction as the other made sounds of interest.

"An unknown Shiba clan member? Weren't they removed from power?" Soi-Fon asked, eyes narrowing at the thought of an unknown clan member being able to hide from the watchful eyes of her people.

"If you want to call a wholesale massacre as removing them from power," Shunsui sneered, most everyone surprised at the words that he had said and the fact that he had actually sneered.

"Only clan members can wear the insignia. There is information of a kido that was made just for the clans so that any insignia of the clan can never be worn by any that are not of blood, or taken in of the clan," Jūshirō said, a heavy frown on his lips. "So it is possible that he was hidden away when they lost their power and the massacre happened."

"Interesting," Yamamoto murmured, making a note to look into the killing of such an influential clan. He had a feeling that somehow the Central 46 had been manipulated into giving that particular order and that was something that was needing to be fixed when he wasn't focusing on what was going on before him.

"So we have a Shiba Clan child who no one knew about, two ryoka and a Grim Reaper," Tosen stated, body tense. "What are we to do?"

"We are to do what I have already told you to do. Look for them, bring them in alive and whole. If they are hurt or maimed in anyway, I will be most displeased and the punishment will be most severe," Yamamoto stated, tapping his cane upon the floor once more, the sound echoing around them. "When you catch the Shiba boy, bring him to the First division cells. I wish to speak with him. But the others, take them to the Fourth division cells. I want them watched over and locked down, but protected," he continued, everyone nodding their heads in agreements.

Once the meeting had been split up, the various taichos sending their people out to hunt down the people they were looking for, Yamamoto headed to his own office, telling his fukutaicho that he did not want to be disturbed. Once he was alone, his office door barred from entry, he turned to the young man who was standing there, playing with the trailing part of his sash and looking highly amused.

"They saw the insignia huh?" Ichigo asked, chuckling softly as Grell rolled his eyes with fond exasperation.

"They did. So, why only you, two of your friends and Grell-kun? I thought that Sado-san would be a part of it?" Yamamoto asked, Ichigo shrugging one shoulder.

"He will. He'll be spotted with me later on and caught by the one named Shunsui. The taicho of the Eighth I believe," Ichigo replied, Yamamoto nodding as they sat to discuss the last of the plans to come.


	37. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 40

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 40

Characters: Sado, Shunsui

Word count: 1,705

Warnings: Some violence

AN: :D *cackles* We just keep moving along.

* * *

With pink haori fluttering in the slight breeze as he sat comfortably on a pillow, waiting for the person with the flowing power that he could feel so close to arrive, Shunsui hummed and tasted his cup of sake. He smiled softly at the taste of the high class sake that his lover had bought him just for this matter. He wouldn't get buzzed, the stuff so well created it was nothing like the moonshine sake that most Rukigon rats preferred. The moonshine was created to help a person forget the world for the night.

The sake in his cup was made to be sipped and enjoyed while one waited for what they needed to wait for.

He had been told that the large male that was a part of the group they were looking for was heading his way. He had gotten a butterfly telling him that Yumichika Ayasegawa and Ikkaku Madarame from the Eleventh Division had captured the girl and one of the males, the dark haired one. She was now known as Orihime while he was simply Uryu, no last names and not talking at all.

Sighing, he smiled slightly and shook his head. "The youth of this age," he chuckled, knowing that above him Nanao was rolling her eyes and looking annoyed with him. "I do hope that he appears soon. I'm getting rather bored with everything," he mused, finishing off the bit of sake in his cup and set it aside as he watched the door open and a large male slip in. Blinking, he raised his eyebrows, surprised at just how tall and wide the male was. This was no child before him.

Muscled and skin richly colored a caramel latte, the sleeveless shirt that he wore showing off a tattoo on his arm. From where he sat, Shunsui could tell that it had wings on a heart with a snake and words that he couldn't quite read from his current angle. Sighing, he waved when he noticed that the young man had spotted him, the large body going tense as he stood ready for a fight. Standing up, he brushed off his hakama and adjusted his straw hat as he walked to stand before his opponent.

"My, my, but you are much bigger than your pictures suggest," he greeted, the other male tilting his head to the side, chocolate colored hair shifting over the matching eyes, one of them hidden by the fall of bangs. "Much bigger," he drawled, smiling as he drew his hat down to hide the fact that his eyes were trailing lower. "I am Shunsui Kyoraku, taicho of the Eighth Division and I have been sent to stop you."

"Is that so?" Sado hummed, raising his eyebrow as full lips twitched into a somewhat smile, one hand coming up to scratch at his goatee. "I am Sado. And I am here to help a friend with something that needs to be done."

"Something that needs to be done?" Shunsui asked as he watched the now named Sado clench his fist, black and red armor racing up his arm before solidifying to create a formidable arm, making Shunsui think of hollows with the way it looked. "And what are you?"

"Human, but some call me a Fullbringer. From what my friend's guardians tell me that they are humans with powers much like a Shinigami but not quite. Kind of a mix between hollow, Quincy, and Shinigami all rolled into a human form," he drawled, rolling his shoulders. "From what I'm told, the other Fullbringers use katana's to focus their powers. I do not have to do so and have a few variations to my powers. This is just one." He smirked slightly at the curious light in Shunsui's eyes.

"Just one huh?" Shunsui asked, rubbing at his stubbled chin as he smirked, just barely stopping himself from leering. For all the world that his lover was rather on the lean side, he had a thing for the larger males when the urge struck. And he always did love watching Ukitake come undone when they shared a willing partner, rare as that was. "Maybe you can show me the others some time soon?" he asked.

Sado's lips quirked upwards. "Maybe. I should make this quick. Ichi did warn us that we're on a time schedule before this started," he drawled, perking Shunsui's interest.

"Ichi? Is that one of your other friends? I'm guessing it would be the pretty one with long hair bound back," he hummed, Sado tilting his head in agreement. "Man, we are surrounded by pretty today," he chuckled softly.

"And only Ichi is really taken. His lover can be possessive," Sado hummed. "I'm with someone...but I don't think it will last."

"Why not?" Shunsui asked, raising an eyebrow as he slowly withdrew his twin blades, holding them next to his sides.

Sado chuckled softly and tipped his head back, eyes falling shut partially as his hair fell back off of his face. "Why not? Because one lover has his heart being held by someone who doesn't know it and the other has her heart opened to every one but I'm not quite connected to her," he said, shrugging one shoulder as he smiled.

"Lucky," Shunsui drawled, before sighing. "But I suppose I should get to work huh? Jyuu-chan will be mighty upset with me if I don't at least try to bring you in now that I've seen you," Shunsui chuckled, Sado smiling slightly in understanding and nodding his head.

"Of course," Sado hummed, shifting his stance as he drew his arm back, power licking around his fist before he punched at the air and sent a light blast of power towards the man. Shunsui yelped and jumped out of the way, landing a few feet away from where the attack had gouged out a relatively thin line from the ground and dissolved half of a pillar before dying quickly as it came to the wall.

"You have some great control over your power," Shunsui hummed, eyebrows up in his hair line, surprised by that.

Sado shrugged with a smile. "I have had time to perfect my abilities. We have been planning this for nearly four years and I have had a wonderful teacher," he stated, shifting on his feet once more, pulling his arm back and drawing power. "There is a good reason as to why we are here. Let's see if you can't land a punch on me. If you do, I'll give you a hint as to why we're here."

The words were a soft promise as Shunsui used his speed to attack the other, Sado showing a surprising ability to dodge and weave out of the way. Using a few dozen tricks up his sleeve, the taicho was able to corner Sado, the male smirking as the longer blade of Katen Kyokotsu came to rest at his neck, the blade barely pricking the skin.

"So, you promised me a hint as to why you're here if I landed a hit right?" Shunsui drawled, smirking at the larger male, Sado chuckling softly in return as he relaxed against the wall with a smile dancing on full lips. Watching as his tongue traced over the top lip, the taicho rolled his shoulders and squashed the arousal that flared up back down quickly. No need to get hard while he was figuring out a puzzle after all.

"I did, didn't I?" Sado hummed, leaning fully against the wall, unconcerned to have a zanpactou against his neck as he crossed his arms and smiled slightly. "We're here because of an injustice done to my friend."

"An injustice?" Shunsui prodded, eyebrows furrowing together as he tried to think of what could have possibly happened. He had seen a lot so it was a long list to get through.

"Yes. About three years ago, when he was 15, he came home to a very horrific sight. His father and two sisters, dead on the floor of their home. Killed, as we found out later, by Shinigami who had been manipulated into killing them," Sado stated, Shunsui's eyes widening and his mouth opening to deny it. "Don't try to deny that the Seireitei has done some things that make some of the wars in the Living World seem like a toddlers fit. I know you have. But these Shinigami aren't our real targets."

"Why not?" Shunsui asked, worried about what was going to happen and what this group was after.

"Because they were used, manipulated. We don't want them. We want the ones who did and who still are manipulating things behind the scenes," Sado drawled in return, shrugging one shoulder. "From what we know, you're from a clan but not one of the top four. So you know how the Gotei 13 can be played from the inside if someone is smart enough and is able to get inside of that world," he continued, eyes dark as he gazed at the other.

Shunsui nodded in agreement. "That is true. But...if what you're saying is true, then it's more than just a clan member getting their hooks into someone high up," he returned, Sado giving him a pleased look. "I bet that's all you're gonna tell me, huh?" he asked.

"Yep," Sado said, making Shunsui sigh and nod, sliding his shorter blade into its sheath.

"Mind putting these one for me?" he asked, holding up a pair of sekaiseki cuffs. Sado smirked and held out his hand in offering, allowing the taicho to slide them on and take him to where they were being held. "Man, this job just got that much harder," Shunsui sighed as he walked away after depositing Sado in the same cell as his two friends, his current lovers if the older male could tell anything.

Shaking his head, Shunsui headed for his own lover, needing a good cuddle, some more sake and another mind to work out who was fucking around with Seireitei and would have sent people to kill a human family. It was not looking to be a good day.


	38. Whisper to me 1 Pt 41

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 40

Characters: William, Ichigo

Word count: 1,273

Warnings: just sheer fluff

AN: I think I gave myself a cavity with the amount of fluffy sugar in here okay?

Enjoy.

* * *

"I'm going to hate this, I just know it," Ichigo sighed as he packed away his things into a small bag that he would carry on his person. William would be following him around, hidden from view but still there. It would just take some time for everything to finish happening even though they all wanted this part to be over and done with now that it was picking up pace.

"You'll do fine," William promised as he stepped up behind his lover and pressed a kiss to the back of his neck, getting a soft smile from the younger male. "I'll be close by and Grell will be able to get to you whenever he wishes to."

"Tell me again how he learned how to walk shadows while you didn't?" Ichigo asked teasingly, smirking at his lover and getting a scowl from him.

"Some Grim Reapers have an aptitude for shadow walking while others do not. I was unfortunately unable to learn this ability but I was able to learn a few other tricks that Grell hasn't been able to learn," William explained, coming up behind his lover and wrapping his arms around his waist. Nuzzling into the sweetly scented neck, he sighed softly, his eyes closing as he tried to enjoy the time that they had left. Ichigo smiled softly and leant back against his lover, eyes half lidded as he finished packing his stuff away and tying the pouch onto his obi with a smile.

"I'll be fine, William, I promise," Ichigo hummed, rubbing his hand over the others arms as they relaxed with one another, just basking in being with each other. "You just have to believe in that Yamamoto will make sure that I'm well taken cared of when it comes time for me to be a guest of their dungeons," he promised, feeling his lover smile against his neck.

"I know. It still doesn't mean that I have to like it. I won't be having you in my bed after all, much less here to just cuddle with as I please," William huffed, getting a low chuckle from his lover.

"And here I thought that big and bad Grim Reaper didn't cuddle," Ichigo teased, turning around in Williams arms, smirking up at him with a cocked eyebrow. His brown eyes danced in amusement and love.

"We don't," William sniffed, squeezing Ichigo around his waist. "But for a pretty little lover like you? I can break that 'no cuddling the adorable Shinigami that you run across' rule," he teased.

Ichigo pulled a face as he eyed his partner. "Is there really a rule like that?" he asked. He wouldn't have been very surprised all things considered, especially since Grell had this really bad habit of just pouncing upon whoever he wanted to.

"Unfortunately...yes. This particular rule was instated because of the fact that Grell had this rather interesting habit of pouncing on the various Shinigami that he considered adorable like when it came time to mingle with them. Which will be happening in about a month or so, by the way," William huffed, getting an amused look from his mate. "And so we had to create that rule to stop him from doing it again because the last time he did so, he nearly lost all of his hair."

"Sounds like Grell," Ichigo snorted, shaking his head with a smile before pulling William towards their bed, sitting down with the other pressed close to him. "But you do break that particular rule. Then again, I'm not just Shinigami, I'm Quincy too," he hummed, lacing their fingers together, leaning his head on William's shoulder as his other hand stroked over the back of William's.

"That is true. You're a whole 'nother creature then what Grell was pouncing," William chuckled, smiling into his lover's neck with a purr, making the other chuckle softly. "Though, now day's, he's pouncing on demon's from the Victorian ages instead of cute Shinigami."

Ichigo burst into laughter and shook his head with a smile, squeezing the hand in his, eyes sparkling up at the man. "I do love you, William, I really do. And it's surprising that they haven't actually fucked our dear red head," he snorted, William groaning and rolling his eyes.

"It's always surprising to hear such words come out of your mouth," William snorted, shaking his head and standing up, picking up his personal death scythe to check the edge of the blades. "But you are right. It is rather surprising though I don't believe that Sebastian, nor Ciel have given up their sexual lives just because they have a third person in their room right now."

"I know they haven't. Ciel comes out of that room limping or glowing with that 'just fucked well and hard' look way to often to have killed their sex life for the time being," Ichigo drawled as he bounced up from the bed, William giving him a knowing look. "Especially since they keep telling me that they can tell when we're getting sexually happy."

"Scents and small sounds, even through the wards, if I remember Ciel's complaint one day," William drawled, getting a low chuckle from Ichigo as he nodded.

"I believe that we do have everything right? Extra clothes, communications devices and quick snacks?" he asked, taking the chance to peek into his little purse like bag. William smirked and cocked an eyebrow at it, still highly amused by the fact that just because Lizzy had bought it for him, Ichigo used it and often. "You will shut it otherwise you will end up waiting to get me back into bed for longer," he threatened.

"I didn't say a thing," William replied, trying to pull off an innocent look and apparently not pulling it off as Ichigo gave him a knowing look. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, losing the amusement of it all. He turned to his lover, hands coming to rest on his hips. Ichigo sighed and shook his head.

"Do I want to do this? No, not really. Do I need to do it?" he asked, running his hands up and down over his mate's arms, eyes sad as he looked up at black eyes. "Yes, I do. I need to make sure that no one else feels the pain that I have been dealt in my lifetime. No one else should feel the pain of losing their family for no reason other than to destroy someone that is perceived as a threat," he continued, sighing as he closed his eyes, placing his forehead on William's chest.

William sighed and stroked a hand over the soft hair of his mate, tweaking the hair stick that held the long locks back out of the way. "I can understand why you are doing this, my love, and I will help you do this as much as I can. Even if it means letting you walk into a timed capture and a possible execution order."

"Thank you for being here for me, William, really," Ichigo sighed softly, tilting his head to brush their lips together, William smiling softly down at him and returning the brush of lips.

"Always, lover, always," William promised before they separated and left the house, William using his skills to hide and Ichigo using his training to slip past people, heading towards the right division, smirking as he dodged over buildings and around people.

Grell followed after them, using the shadows around them to keep himself hidden.


	39. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 42

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 42

Characters: Gin, Ichigo

Word count: 1,666

Warnings: violence and talking

My Eternal Thanks goes to CutsyCat for taking on this behemoth of a story for me. Without her and Affy, I would be in forever editing hell. *hugs them*

AN: And such, we learn more. *chuckles* We're really getting into it aren't we? *cackles*

Note: It has been an amazingly busy few days. My friend is buying a trailer and we moved her (mostly) on Saturday. I came home and just crashed out from 7 that night until 9:30 the next morning when my body went into panic and I ended up with an asthma attack. I'm fine, throat was raw though.

And today, I went shopping for a few bits and pieces for the coming holidays. I still have a lot to do.

But for now, enjoy! I go back to my insanity.

* * *

"Well, well, well, aren't ya a pretty one?" Turning on the balls of one foot, Ichigo raised an eyebrow at the slit-eyed, silver-lavender haired male that stood there before him, looking rather amused by it all.

He tilted his head and snorted. "Great, yeah, just my luck that you're the one that has found me first," he drawled in return. "And my lover would be rather unhappy with you if he heard you say such things," he continued, lips pulling into a smile. "And just who are you?"

Gin chuckled softly and shook his head, hair swinging. "Just my luck that you would have a lova," he said, hands tucked up in the sleeves of his kosode. "I am Gin Ichimaru, taicho of the Third Divisin' and we've been lookin' for ya," he introduced, watching brown eyes sparkle with amusement.

"Have you really? It's not like I've been out and about lately," Ichigo mused, shrugging before he laughed lowly. "I suppose we should fight now. Make it seem believable since you're not on my list. At least my current list," he continued. Gin blinked at him and tilted his head, making the other male smile at having made the unblinking shinigami actually do so. "I have bigger fish to fry and I do have a general idea of who I need to fry."

"Oh do you?" Gin asked, curious about the male before him. No one had said anything about the young man having a list of people that he was after at the moment. He doubted that anyone actually knew that fact really, but he figured that it was something that would be good to know. He made a note to remember whatever the young male offered, even if it seemed to be offered with a plan in mind. "Now I'm curious," he drawled, removing his arms from inside of his kosode and stepped closer, watching Ichigo as he watched him in return.

"Always curious from what your file says about you," Ichigo hummed, making Gin pause in his place, staring at Ichigo in a whole new light. "Oh yes, we have the files of everyone that we think would be a good idea to watch. Why? Because we've had many a year to plan this after all," he purred, smirking in a way much like his guardians. The smirk that made it's way over sweet pink lips made Gin think twice about going up against the young male before him. There was something almost deadly about the sharpness of that smile.

"So I take it you're here for a reason," Gin drawled even as he found himself dodging out of the way of the strike from the oversized zanpactou. "And apparently you can wield that thing you call a weapon quite well."

"Oh yes, I can wield Zangetsu quite well, really I can. You see, I'm not just the normal, every day shinigami," Ichigo hummed, watching as Gin smoothly pulled his own zanpactou free and slashed at him in return, making him dance out of the way. He was praising the fact that his guardians had decided that he needed to learn so many styles of fighting. And later, how to mix and mingle them into something of his own that was cohesive to fighting with and without his zanpactou. He knew that there would be times where he wouldn't be able to have it in hand and would have to fight hand to hand.

Gin frowned slightly, trying to get a peg on the kids fighting style but finding it hard to do. It was as if he didn't have to use the same move over and over again but instead could mix what moves he used. It flowed, the lean body almost dancing around as they traded slices and jabs with their zanpactous. The two blades slid together, creating sparks before the two men pushed away from each other, pointing the tips of their blades at each other. Ichigo held his zanpactou in one hand, wrist loose but ready to snap out, the rest of his body almost relaxed in stance.

Gin held his own zanpactou with one hand, pointed out before drawing it down so that it was held parallel to one leg, eyes taking in every inch of the other. He noted that he had apparently landed a few nicks with the tip of Shinso. "You have quite a bit of training, and yur reitsu is controlled, to a point, but the size of your zanpactou says that it should be less controlled and instead more wild. It's almost as if you personify contradictions," he mused as they came to a rest.

Ichigo smiled. "Ah, now you're getting it. Your file did say that you are smart, amazingly so. But due to your upbringing in such a low level district of the Rukigon, many tend to ignore the fact that you have to be smart and savvy to get to where you are with no clan backing," he hummed, shifting so that he was just standing with his feet together, prim and proper even as he swung his zanpactou back and forth lazily next to his shoulder, the blade pointing outwards. "You see, this place rots. It stinks of it but...no one sees it because they're blind to it, used to the stink. It's only when someone applies a kick to their asses do they tend to see and smell."

"And ya smell and see this shit?" Gin asked, sliding to the right as Ichigo slid to the left in a slow slide of feet. The sweet smile that spread over Ichigo's lips made a shiver run up and down the taicho's spine, wariness creeping into his being. "You do, don'tcha?" he asked.

"I have for the last three years, Gin-san, if that's what you're asking me. You see, there is so much corruption going that all it does is rot the rest of Soul Society, and is slowly creeping into the Living World," Ichigo purred as he flashed forward, keeping his speed down. He didn't want to kill the man before him, just put the seeds of knowledge into his head. The files had been informative if one knew what they were looking for amongst the bullshit and half truths.

It helped though that Urahara had been putting files on everyone that would have any kind of impact on the future together even before he became taicho of the Twelfth Division. His information tended to be a bit more useful to the group than Yoruichi's.

"You know more then you're sayin'," Gin drawled as he brought up his short zanpactou up to deflect the blade, feeling as if he was being treated with kid gloves. It didn't make him mad though, instead it made him curious as to what the younger male knew. The flashing eyes that were so old for one who seemed so young was enough to tell him that he was right.

"Of course I know more then I am saying, Gin-san," Ichigo purred as they pushed away again. "Nothing is as it seems and no one is safe from what is to come. And I don't mean what is to come from me and mine, but rather from the one who has learned how to pull strings attached to the darkness, manipulating it to bend to their will. We do not know who is the one pulling them, not fully, but we have a lead on them," he continued, dodging out of the way as Gin actually attacked him without prompting.

"Ya are working to remove the rot, aren't you?" Gin asked as they came close, Ichigo nodding his head. "I think I might know who it is but…"

"You can not say can you?" Ichigo asked, Gin giving him a sharp look through barely opened eyes before they once more closed to a more normal look once more. "I thought so. I really must move on though," he sighed, shoving Gin away from him with a burst of strength and a flash of reitsu.

Gin found himself jerking hard and flying, only to slam into a wall, head slamming against the hard surface. As he slid down the wall, he groaned softly, the edges of his vision going blurry. He watched through blurred eyes as Ichigo walked up to him, pulling out a small vial from what seemed to be a hidden pocket in his outfit. "Wha…?" he slurred out, the young man smiling softly.

"Don't worry, Gin-san, this won't kill you. But instead," Ichigo hummed as he popped the cork in the bottle and poured some silvery sand into the palm of one hand, "you shall sleep and the knock to your head shall be healed. It may even heal some old wounds and play nice with your own energy to clean it up depending on how long you stay under. Goodbye, Gin-san. I do hope you think about what you've heard."

Bringing his hand up to his face, Ichigo blew the sand gently at Gin, watching as the sleeping/healing dust sent the pale man into a deep sleep, catching him when he started to list to the side. Laying him down, he hummed and spread his senses out just a touch, feeling that something was wrapped around the Shinigami's mind. "You do know who holds the strings, don't you?" he sighed, standing straight and placing the large anpactou onto his back, frowning to himself. "Soon though the ties that hold you tight shall snap and the ones who took my family from me will be dealt with. And I'll be able to carry Zangetsu the way I want to. On my hip, instead of my back."

Huffing, he bounced off to his next destination, knowing that whoever he ran across next, depending on who it was, would be the ones who he surrendered to and moved their plans forward.


	40. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 43

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 43

Characters: Yumichika, Ikkaku, Gin

Word count: 2,226

Warnings: Some talk of death, assassination plots, Mpreg, Pregnancy

AN: You now get to see more of what is going on with Gin and what that nice powder did to our Gin! And next chapter is...SMUT! *giggles*

Enjoy.

* * *

The next time that Gin woke up, his first sight was of the amused faces of Ikkaku and Yumichika standing over him, a slight smile sliding over his lips. "Well now, tha pretty one got the jump on me," he huffed out, wincing internally at how rough his voice sounded. Yumichika smirked and held out a hand in offering, Gin taking it and allowing the other to pull him into a sitting position.

Yumichika hummed and squatted down next to him, cocking an eyebrow. "And just who did you go up against?" he asked, arms resting on his knees, pointing straight out before him.

"Tha one named Ichigo. He packs quite the punch and doesn't show it," he said, shaking his head before cracking his neck with a groan. "He knocked me hard enough inta the wall to nearly knock me out before blowing some odd powder in my face. Outside tha sleepiness, I'm fine," Gin continued, slowly standing up, using the wall to lean against to pick up Shinso from the ground, sliding him back into his sheath. "He's good though."

"Well, we knew he was good. I think that there's more goin' on here then what we really know," Ikkaku grunted, Yumichika nodding, having been told what Uryu had said and having told Ikkaku what he had learned from Orihime when he had caught her.

"Indeed there is," Gin said distractedly, thinking about what felt so different in him before going still and actually blinking in some surprise as Ikkaku and Yumichika stared at him. "Well...damn. Tha pretty one has some surprises up his sleeve," he breathed out.

"What? What happened?" Yumichika asked, feeling that there was more going on then what they were being told.

"Nothin' for now. I need ta check in with the sou-taicho," Gin said, shaking his head and jumping up onto the roof, Yumichika and Ikkaku quick to follow after him, wanting to know what was going on and having to check in themselves. After giving Yamamoto the cleaned up version of what happened, having left out the powder that had been blown into his face, the sleek male left the sou-taicho's office, heading for his suite of rooms. He knew that the wards would stop any listeners to whatever he was doing, having used the excuse of having a partner over rather on the often side as an excuse when Aizen asked him about it.

And that was the change that he had felt. Aizen's control over his mind and soul had been broken, the ends of it broken and slowly, oh so slowly, smoothing and healing over. He felt as if the fog that had been wrapped around him for so long had been blown away with that puff of powder and vanilla breath over his face. He barely acknowledged that Yumichika and Ikkaku were both following after him, slipping into his rooms before he could close the door.

"If you're gonna be here, don' make a mess," he said, heading for his bedroom where several papers waited for him. He used them to test if someone was under Aizen's control, the brunet unknowing about them, which he liked. Pulling one out, he focused his reitsu onto the paper, eyes slitting open and shifting from the soft blue that they were normally to a deep red as his reiryoku raised up in a soft flare of power.

Yumichika whistled from the doorway in obvious appreciation, shifting on his feet. "Well now, that's something you don't see everyday," he drawled, crossing his arms as he watched Gin slit his eyes once more and stare at the paper that was slowly turning gold.

"My eyes have always been this way," Gin replied, shrugging before he smirked. "I take it ya want to know what I am so happy 'bout, yes?" he asked, turning to look at the two males that had invaded his barracks.

"Yeah, we do. So what's up?" Ikkaku asked, raising an eyebrow as Gin used a bit of kido to incinerate the paper and dusted his fingers off.

"I'll make tea and tell ya," Gin hummed, walking past the two, brushing up against them and leaving behind a trail of cinnamon and spice. The two shared curious looks before Ikkaku smirked and shrugged, following after the smaller male. They watched as the lean male made the tea, spice scenting the air as he found sugar and cream to go with the odd blend of tea that he had decided on for them.

"So are ya going to tell us? Or just drink tea?" Ikkaku asked as Gin served the tea in delicate looking mugs that were much heavier than they actually looked.

"I'm gonna tell ya, I'm gonna tell ya," Gin huffed as he added a bit of sugar to his tea before carefully pouring a bit of thick cream into his tea, stirring it with his spoon. "Just trust me that by tha time I tell ya what's goin' on that ya're gonna want something stronger than just some spicy chai tea," he drawled, Ikkaku and Yumichika sharing looks between each other once more. Shrugging, they tasted the tea before adding sugar and cream to it themselves, Yumichika's looking like wet sand while Ikkaku's was closer to dry sand in color.

"There's something different about you," Yumichika stated after staring at Gin as he stared at his tea. He tried to gather his thoughts about how Ichigo had freed him from something that he had been working on for decades.

Looking up, Gin hummed and sipped at his tea, tasting it before nodding his head. "I'm sure that you've heard 'bout Aizen's shika right?" he asked, his companions nodding.

"Ain't it some kind of water zanpactou?" Ikkaku asked, Gin huffing and shaking his head in response.

"That's what he wants ya to think, but truly? It's a hypnotizing zanpactou. And a very strong one too," Gin hummed, tapping one finger against the side of his cup, thinking heavily about what he was going to say next. "A very powerful hypnotizing zanpactou. When he showed his zanpactou's ability, he really placed the hypnosis on 'em, but no one really knows it because they've never seen it in action without being placed under the spell," he said quietly.

"So...everyone is under a hypnosis but they don't know it because no one's ever told them?" Yumichika asked, Gin nodding his head with a sigh.

"Yeah. Mine was broken, I think, because of that powder that Ichi blew into my face," he said, Ikkaku blinking several times at the slim male. "I just know that before the powder I was under his control, but working to break it, but after...I was free," he continued, shrugging.

"Do ya know how to break the spells?" Ikkaku asked, Gin smirking slightly and nodding. "And how do you do that?" he prodded.

"Well, ya have ta touch his zanpactou before it's released on ya," Gin snorted, smirking at the glares that he got in return. "What? Never said it would be easy," he drawled lazily, sipping his tea.

"How in the world did you get mixed up in all of this?" Yumichika asked, having a sudden thought, he and his lover going stiff at the dark, pained look that crossed over Gin's face.

Putting his tea cup down after quickly draining it, Gin stood up and headed for his liquor cabinet. "Now I need somethin' harder to be talkin' 'bout that," he said, pulling out a bottle of rich, dark liquid with a pirate posed on the front of it. "Pour me a fresh cup of tea but don' fill it quite full, please," he asked, Yumichika nodding and doing so.

Sitting down, Gin poured a splash of the spiced rum into his cup before adding a bit of cream and just a touch of sugar, stirring it all together before offering the bottle to the other two men. Feeling that it would be a good idea to have something stronger in their tea then just tea, they accepted the bottle and added some of it to their own refreshed cups of tea. Once they had each drained half of their cups, Gin sat forward with his arms resting on the table, frowning to himself.

"Ya know that me and Rangiku-chan were both livin' in the lower districts of the Rukigon, right? We're true rats and knew that we had power even as the kids that we were," Gin said, eyes opening slightly to allow the soft blue of his eyes shine through his lashes. "Tha thing is that when I first met her, just before than, I saw three shinigami leave where I would find her."

"What did they do?" Yumichika asked, already horrified by the thoughts of what could have happened.

"They took something important from her," Gin stated, grip on his cup tightening before relaxing again. "We didn' know what it was at tha time, but we found out after we grew up and I joined the Shinigami corps. I had seen those three shinigami meet with Aizen and knew that he was the one controllin' them." Taking a deep breath, he sighed, and shook his head, hair falling down around his face. "We later found out that she has the power to create new souls but something that made it all work was stripped from her. That connecting strand of power between her reitsu and her physical body…"

"They took her ability to have children? Completely stripped it out of her?" Yumichika asked, sounding appalled by that. He had the ability, hell even Ikkaku had the ability to carry if he so wished, but they were both on something to stop that from happening. But to have that choice taken away from you by another? It was disgusting and scary just how far back Aizen's reach went.

"Not the ability but the connection as I said. She can't become pregnant. It can be fixed but it would take a lot of power and a special kind of power that we don' have at the moment," Gin said, sighing softly. "I promised that I would stop Aizen even before we learned about this. He took somethin' away from Rangiku-chan and will have to pay for it now."

Ikkaku drained his cup before slamming it down onto the table. "We'll help you take him down. Do ya think this is why we have the ryoka runnin' around? Because Aizen did somethin' or another to them? They talked about a pain that they didn't want other's to feel remember," he said.

"I remember the girl, Orihime, saying something about Ichigo having lost something important to him. Do you think she meant someone important to him? Like...family?" Yumichika asked, Gin going stiff as a thought ran through his head.

"Fuck," he breathed, both Ikkaku and Yumichika going stiff in a different way across from him. They had never heard such language from the other and despite the fact that they were talking about such a heavy topic, it was arousing. "I think I know what happened to tha pretty one."

"Oh?" Yumichika breathed, pushing aside the lust that had raised its head up at the fact that Gin had cursed so fluently.

"Yeah. I remember about three years ago or so, he had manipulated someone into sending a death squad to the human world," Gin said, shuddering softly as he remembered the look of glee that had been on his face as he read the report from the squad. They had been found dead from various things over the next week after that. But he had been pissed when he had read about the souls of the ones that he wanted not being there to be found. "He sent them to kill a family and collect the souls afterward. To pass the time, they had gone to deal with some hollows and by the time they got there, the souls had been gone. He was pissed, amazingly so, when he learned that fact. He was also pissed that there was one that they weren't able to kill off either."

"Do you think that it's this Ichigo guy?" Ikkaku asked, eyes widening in surprise when Gin reached out to grab the bottle of rum, draining just over half the full bottle without stopping.

"I know so," Gin gasped as he slammed the bottle down, wiping the back of his hand. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to find a partner. I need tha help ta forget the fact that I helped a family be slaughtered by not being able ta tell anyone about his manipulations," he said, shuddering slightly.

"Well then, I think we can help you with both problems. We'll figure out what to do about Aizen tomorrow, but for now...I think we can help you with the forgetting things part," Yumichika purred, purple eyes dark as he leered at Gin, who was blinking at him in surprise and some arousal.

"Really now?" Gin asked, sounding a bit more breathless than he was expecting. The matching leers on the faces of the other two men sent heat racing through him.


	41. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 45

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 45

Characters: Yumichika, Ikkaku, Gin, Hitsugaya, Momo, Soi-Fon

Word count: 1,712

Warnings: Violence, fighting, cursing, some blood,

AN: What is to happen next? Well, you're just gonna have to wait until next week to find out! *cackles*

Enjoy!

* * *

"So, you're sayin' that yes, you did fuck around with Aizen, but he sucked in bed so you got real good at fakin' it while with 'em?" Ikkaku drawled as he watched pale skin littered with brand new bruises and nips disappear under soft cloth. Gin smirked at him as Yumichika convinced his hair to lay flat once more.

"Yep," Gin chuckled, reaching around the pretty male and pull a jar forward. "Try this one. Works wonders with just a little."

Picking up the jar, Yumichika blinked at it before smiling. "So you know about him?" he purred, Gin smirking in return.

"Of course. Have ta keep the hair smooth despite the fact that it just loves to frizz in humidity," Gin chuckled as he finished smoothing his uniform. The butterfly that had come with orders to attend a meeting danced on the sill before flitting off, sure that it's job was complete and they were on their way to the meeting. "Come on, we have a meetin' ta get ta."

"Oh, goody," Ikkaku grunted, knowing that it was he who had to gather the rest of his division up for the after meeting show and tell. So while Gin was attending the meeting, Ikakku and Yumichika would be dealing with idiots. They were not happy about that fact.

"Awww, poor Ikkaku. You two can always walk me ta the meeting hall," Gin drawled just as Yumichika finished with his hair.

"Sounds good to me. Means that we can extend the amount of time before we need to worry about dealing with the division," he said, Ikkaku grunting as he stood and collected his zanpactou from where it sat, Yumichika and Gin following his example

"Of course you wouldn't mind extending your time away from the idiots." Ikkaku snorted, shaking his head in some amusement. Gin just smirked and pushed the basket with his laundry to the side before he lead his companions out of the rooms. They took their time walking through the Third and Second divisions, talking about plans for getting together later that night.

"I feel like that I'm missin' somethin'," Gin mused as they headed for the conference room where the taicho's gathered for their meetings. The scream of pure, unadulterated horror made all three of them jerk in surprise. "That's what I'm forgettin'," he sighed. "No matter what ya see, it ain't true," he warned, muttering low enough for the two men to hear, but no one else.

With that said, the three dashed to where they had heard the scream come from, Gin very glad that they hadn't had enough time for a third round. And that Yumichika haad taken the time to give him a massage to relax his back and do a little healing.

Jumping over a railing and landing on a roof, the three males came to a skidding stop, staring at Aizen's body that was supposedly pinned to a wall by his own zanpactou. Momo was on her knees with her hands clamped over her mouth, staring at the horrific sight.

"Damn it all, just what we need now," Gin breathed, body tensing as Momo whipped around to glare at him.

"You," she snarled, her girlish face transforming into a dark look, snarling at Gin. "You did this, didn't you?" she screamed at him.

"Nope. This looks fresh and I've been busy since early this mornin'," Gin replied, twitching when she did nothing but snarl even louder. "I don't think that she's listenin' anymore," he warned as Momo pulled her zanpactou free of the sheath.

"Shit," Ikkaku grunted as they split up, the enraged fukutaicho coming after Gin and ignoring the other two males. "So, what do we do now?" he called as the taicho defended himself from Momo's wild slashes with his own still sheathed zanpactou.

"Stop her without hurtin' or killin' her. I know Yumichika there knows how to knock a person out easily enough," Gin replied once he had pushed Momo back to give himself some room.

"Yeah, I can do that," Yumichika hummed, his eyes narrowing as he watched the enraged, hysterical fukutaicho, looking for the right moment to get at her.

"I'll kill you!" Momo screamed, slashing faster at Gin, uncaring that he was heavily frowning at her and the she was actually attacking one of her superior officers. All she cared about was that her Aizen-sama had been killed and she knew that it was the man who had just tossed her back once again who had done it.

"Would ya stop her, please? I don't know how much longer I can hold off psycho girl here," Gin called over, Yumichika finally making his move and hitting her from behind hard enough to knock her out. Catching her, the blue eyed man sighed and laid her onto the ground before sitting on his ass with a groan. "Thank you," he groaned.

"Looks like her aim was good enough to land a few slices on ya," Ikkaku noted, jogging over to the two men.

Gin looked at the two shallow wounds, one on his arm and the other on his cheek, and the deep one on his hip, and cursed softly. "Looks like our night tonight won't be happenin'," he sighed as Soi-fon and Hitsugaya finally arrived at the scene. "I think seein' Aizen-taicho pinned ta tha wall there may have made her snap."

The other two taicho's looked up at the wall, finding that indeed, Aizen had been pinned to the wall, looking very dead.

"She did what exactly?" Soi-fon asked as she sent a butterfly off to get some Fourth Divsioners to the sight, mouth pressed tight into a pale line as she looked around. Outside of a few splatters of drying blood and a gouge in the stone that had probably been created by Momo's zanpactou, which Ikkaku was sheathing so that it could be easily transported, there really wasn't much damage done.

"She saw Ichimaru here and seemed to have jumped to the conclusion that somehow it was all his fault," Yumichika stated as he fussed over the wound in Gin's side, getting a hiss from the smaller male.

"And where has Ichimaru-taicho been today?" Her tone dripped with disdain, which Gin easily ignored as Yumichika snorted.

"He first went up against one of those ryoka, got thrown and was out for about five, ten minutes before me and Yumi here found 'em. Was out for another five before wakin' up and then we took 'em to the sou-taicho to give his report before he was checked over and told ta rest," Ikkaku stated, holding Momo's zanpactou so that if she somehow awoke, she wouldn't be able to get it.

Looking between the two men on the ground and then looking at Ikkaku, who stood at the ready, Soi-Fon frowned even more as she growled. "And after that?"

"We were fucking away some post fight energy," Yumichika stated, growing tired of her. He had never liked dealing with her before, and between the stick up her ass and Momo's moment of insanity, his afterglow was completely ruined. "Anything else? Do you perhaps want to know who fucked who and in what position?" he asked, voice a wire's thinness and three times as sharp.

""No, we're good," Hitsugaya broke in, brushing off Soi-Fon's glare at him as he moved forward. "We'll wait until you've been checked over by the Fourth and are taken cared of before we head to the meeting. Where you can give the newest report," he said. As everyone agreed to it, several Fourth divisioners arrived, four taking Momo with them while the groups leader, Hanataro dealt with Gin's wounds.

"You're lucky, Ichimaru-taicho, that you were able to dodge out of the way or this would have been much, much deeper," the small healer said, deftly ignoring the the bruises that he found as he tended to the deepest of the wounds.

"Just have a lot of practice dodging wayward kido spells," Gin chuckled, liking the way the young healer worked. Quick and efficient but not so much that the patient was in more pain.

"Well, it certainly helped you today," Hanataro replied, smiling at Gin before cleaning out the wound carefully and slowly sealing it up with a mix of kido and liquid stitches. "No training for a few days and be careful of any strenuous activity for at least a full twenty-four hours. This does mean that I don't think that you should be out looking for the intruders too," he stated when he was finished with the cuts, placing gauze bandages on the now clean wounds.

"I can do that," Gin promised, Yumichika and Ikkaku helping him up from the ground as Aizen's body was finally removed from the building s side.

"Awww, and here I had such fun plans for tonight too," Yumichika teased, Ichimaru shaking his head as Hanataro flushed a pretty pink color.

"Um, well, that is," Hanataro stuttered out before taking a steadying breath. "As long as you keep it easy, you can have sex. Just not acrobatic or very rough sex. And cleaning up afterward is a must. If the bandages get wet or disturbed, just change them and you'll be fine. The usual aftercare of wounds."

"That I can do," Gin chuckled. Hanataro smiled and bowed, taking the rest of his team back to the fourth to check in with their superior. Yumichika and Ikkaku though followed after the three taicho's, giving their own reports before heading to the Eleventh once more.

Gin gave his own report, mentally wondering to himself if anyone knew that the supposedly dead Aizen was all tucked up in the rooms that housed the Central 46, planning his next move or not. Once the meeting had been dismissed, he happily went to his home, bathing and eating before he was once more joined by his two partners.

Through all of it, everyone missed the pretty male in odd clothes and long hair or the red headed Grim Reaper that watched it all from their hiding spots.


	42. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 46

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 46

Characters: Jūshirō, Ichigo

Word count: 1,564

Warnings: Violence, talk of death

AN: We're just learn more and more and more with every chapter. *chuckles* We learn more about what our dear Ichigo, and his dear Demons and Grim Reapers have learned. Enjoy.

* * *

It had been quite the accident, running across the young male who was standing before him, holding his zanpactou out before him with a smile dancing on his lips. With long hair pulled into a braid and wrapped into a bun, the young man reminded him of someone, someone he thought lost long ago. He had a soft, sweet look about him but the look upon his face was that of someone who knew too much of the world but still saw the world in a hopeful light.

It was refreshing to see hope for the future shining in soft brown eyes.

But still, Jūshirō knew for a fact that he had to take in the young man, no matter how much it made his stomach rebel against him. "I need you to give up," he called out, Ichigo smiled softly at him and shook his head.

"I can't, Jushiro-san, I really can't. At least not at the moment," Ichigo replied, shrugging one shoulder as he shifted his hold on his zanpactou hilt. "I have much to do and so very little time to do it after all," he continued. Swaying on his feet, the smile was full of mischief and knowledge. "So many people to learn about and to stop from making what I need to do that much harder. After all, I've waited three very long years to do this and it would be a bad thing to waste all that training and planning just because of some overzealous fool."

"Why are you doing this?" Jushiro asked, bringing up Sogyo no Kotowari to stop the sudden attack from Ichigo, sliding back a few inches before he stopped. The other male danced back and his pretty face went from mischief and sweetness to something stonier, serious.

"Because I refuse to allow any others to feel what I have felt, what my cousins have felt. I refuse to just be wiped off of the face of the Earth just because I don't fit someone's idea of 'normal'," he said, sneering the last word. The look and the way he talked jarred something in Jushiro's mind, making him blink and take a slow, deep breath. "I refuse to allow whoever it was who stole my childhood to steal the childhood of others."

Narrowing his eyes, he dodged out of the slash that Ichigo aimed at him, noting that it was rather slow considering he had caught the young male moving nearly as fast as the once famous Yoruichi had. It was as if he wasn't really trying to fight but just distract him, his words being more important than his actions. Already Jushiro's mind was working over what he had said, picking them apart, looking for all of the clues that he could.

"What happened that set you on such a path? That sent you after the Seireitei?" Jushiro asked as they went back and forth with their blows, zanpactou sliding and clashing, sending reitsu rolling out around them.

"Ah, but I'm not after the Seireitei, just a...select few, Jushiro-san," Ichigo drawled, his eyes glinting. It looked like he owed his lover a massage: he was right about the silver haired male before him, he was smart and would be the one to help put the pieces together. "As for why? Well, there's been too much death that shouldn't have happened for my tastes," he continued, sliding away from a side slash with an easy, well practiced movement. "Too many people dead because they don't fit into what the Shinigami think is the grand scheme of things, which allow those who are truly evil to slip by your very noses."

Eyes widening, Jushiro pushed his opponents zanpactou off of Sogyo no Kotowari, pushing back as his mind raced. Thinking of all the times that they had been ordered to observe and, if needed, destroy this faction or that faction. Bounts and the Vizards and the Quincy's...all of them a part of the grand scheme of things but they had still been told to destroy them by the Central 46. The Bounts had disappeared, hidden from the world long ago, so the orders were more of watching and waiting for them to make a move. The Vizards weren't being hunted either since they too had disappeared and stayed underground, so again, they were watching and waiting.

But the Quincy's though… They had done nothing when they started to die off suddenly, others disappearing under the ground and yet others dying at the hands of hollows that a Shinigami should have taken care of the moment that they were felt. His eyes narrowed as the brown eyes sparkled at him as he started to put the pieces together, thinking of the people who had left the Seireitei because they just didn't agree to the way the clans and the Central 46 seemed to rule their very souls.

It was enough to make him pause and shudder, the young male coming to stand before him, his eyes softening as he watched Jūshirō start to put the pieces together. "So much death and destruction just because those who have power refuse to acknowledge that they are small in the grand scheme of things. They don't want to remember that there is the King who sleeps right now, never knowing that with their every decree and move that they throw the Worlds into an unbalance that can ruin what is there," Ichigo told him quietly, walking over to him and tilting his head up to gaze at the silver haired man. "Are you seeing why I am here now? Why I am doing what I must do?"

Jushiro took out a slow, shaky breath before nodding his head. He noticed the young males eyes flick towards something behind him but didn't care at the moment, already slowly putting the pieces together. "He always said that the Gotei 13 and Central 46 would end up pissing off the wrong person and end up having to deal with them. Usually in a very painful manner," he said, sliding Sogyo no Kotowari into his sheath, the younger male placing his own zanpactou onto his back. "Tell me, are you here to dismantle everything or are you just after a particular person?" he asked.

"I'm not here to bend over the Gotei 13 and fuck them without lube if that's what you're asking. No, I'm here for just a few someones. Unfortunately they just happen to be a part of your people, and unfortunately, they have quite the ego," Ichigo said, holding up his arms with a smile. "Now, take me in and don't stop what is to come. Make your unhappiness known about whatever is to come all you want, but don't stop it. It needs to happen and it will happen even if you don't want it to."

"Why though?" Jushiro asked, sliding the sekkiseki cuffs onto thin wrists, a thumb sliding over a small mark that he knew from pictures that had stopped coming just over three years before. "Oh gods above and below," he breathed, wide gray eyes shooting up to stare at the softly smiling Ichigo.

"Shush, no telling now. That would defeat the purpose of my being here and allowing myself to be caught," Ichigo said softly, feeling odd at having the cuffs on. He was used to his powers being dampened, having trained with cuffs much like the sekkiseki stone cuffs he was wearing now, but still. It was like a white wall of fog between him and his powers, the voice of his zanpactou coming to him softer. "There is no reason to let them know who I am just yet."

"What did he name you?" Jushiro asked, still stroking the birthmark that was almost as dark as the skin that surrounded it. He wouldn't have even noticed it if it hadn't been for the fact that he had seen it so often and had memorized it just in case he ever came across his friends child. "What happened?"

"He was killed by someone who wanted him out of the way. Would have gotten me if they hadn't fucked up on the timing," Ichigo replied, tilting his head, knowing that Jushiro had put the pieces together. He now owed his lover a full homemade dinner that came from his mother's recipes. "And...he named me Ichigo," he said. "Named me as the protector that I am, that I had to become after my mother died because of the same person who sent those who killed him."

"And your…?" Jushiro asked, trailing off, unwilling to say the words just yet. The sadness that filled brown eyes made his breath hitch and his heart ache. "They were taken by the Grim Reapers weren't they?" he breathed, Ichigo nodding. "Good. Come, I must take you in. Luckily we're not far from where you will be held. For now, I will trust in the fact that you have a plan for all of this," he said, Ichigo smiling.

"My father's journals and the files are right about you. You are a good man with a brilliant mind," Ichigo said, allowing Jushiro to lead him towards the cells that he knew had been set up just for him. Having his grandfather know about everything was coming in handy after all.


	43. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 47

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 47

Characters: Ichigo, Yamamoto, Byakuya

Word count: 1,389

Warnings: nothing

AN: God Ichigo, you're just a little shit aren't you? *snerks* But we all love it. :D

And I'm sorry that I'm posting this so late in the day. I landed with a cold and slept nearly 15 hours last night. And then I had physical therapy for my shoulder, my insurance people for my rides screwed us over by putting the wrong time down so we were there for over an hour waiting for our appointments. Yes, my mother is doing PT to.

Just...ugh.

Enjoy!

* * *

"And who brought him in?" Yamamoto asked. He stood next to Byakuya, staring at the doors that were being opened by one of the lower seated officers of the First Division, going to see their newest prisoner. They had already talked with the other three who they had already caught, getting nothing from them except knowing smirks much to Byakuya's distaste.

"Ukitake Jushiro, Yamamoto-sou-taicho," Byakuya stated, watching the doors finally open and following the older man into the building. "He said that the young ryoka willingly gave himself up to him after a few minutes of fighting. He actually placed his zanpactou into storage by himself since the first time someone other than the prisoner touched it, the spirit made its distaste of them well know. I believe that they are still in the Fourth having those burns healed and the pulled muscles fixed," he stated, Yamamoto nodding his head.

"I take it that Kurotsuchi-taicho is not pleased that no one is able to lift, much less touch, the zanpactou?" Yamamoto asked, the quiet, delicate snort enough of an answer for him. "I thought as much. Has our prisoner spoken?"

"No. Just to say his name, which he gives as Ichigo," Byakuya stated as they came up to a cell at the far end of the hall. Ichigo stood before them, wearing a simple gray colored kimono that fell to the floor, covering his feet with the soft fabric. Even though it had been taken out, his hair had been once more pulled back into a tight braid, held closed with a piece of leather, and he was staring out of the window, arms crossed. The light danced over the young male and Yamamoto had to stop himself from smiling softly at the graceful looseness that his grandson carried so easily.

"Ichigo, correct? What is your last name?" Yamamoto said, starting off the questioning, voice firm as Byakuya watched with wary eyes.

Ichigo shifted to turn on the balls of his feet, brown eyes that held hidden secrets gazing at them. "I'm not going to be able to tell you if you don't know, sou-taicho. I do have three of them after all," he said, voice soft, matching his eyes with hidden secrets. "Yes, I know who you are, as I know who your companion is. I am not surprised that you came to speak with me yourself since I wouldn't even be here if I had not willingly given myself up to your taicho. Ukitake Jūshirō I believe his name is."

"It is," Yamamoto replied, nodding his head as he stared at his grandson, reminding himself that it was all an act, a way to work out the full truth of what had happened three years and why it had happened. He did not want to ruin all of their hard work just because he was seeing what the young man before him showed those who did not know him. "How do you know who we are?" he asked instead.

Ichigo hummed and turned to fully face them, padding over to the chair that sat in the middle of the room, the only piece of furniture beside a bed that was bolted to the ground and a door to the side that could not be locked but still lead to the bathroom. Sitting down, he smoothed the yukuta down and tilted his head. "My guardians told me about you. I'm sure your little Shinigami who was patrolling around Karakura Town told you that they are not human," he stated. "And really, they aren't. I can tell you all about why I'm here, but…I don't think I will. At least not yet."

"What is it that you mean by that?" Byakuya asked, voice stern, harsh. Ichigo just smiled and shook his head with an amused smile dancing upon his lips.

"Oh, I'm sure you can guess, Kuchiki-san," Ichigo drawled, smiling at him, eyes glittering brightly. "And if you can't, or just refuse to, I can tell you this. It's not time to tell why I am here. Not yet anyways. You will all learn why I am here, why I came to this place at this time and why things are happening the way they are."

Byakuya narrowed his eyes as he stared at the young ryoka before him, feeling mildly insulted but not quite able to figure out where he had been insulted. "Not time, indeed. It seems to me that you are just playing games and have no real reason for being here," he stated, Ichigo tilting his head and blinking. To the two men, he looked like a lost child before his eyes glittered darkly and a smirk danced over his lips.

"Oh come on, Kuchiki, you should be able to read a person better than that. After all, you did deal with Urahara and the ever playful Yoruichi for quite a few decades after all," Ichigo said, eyes glinting at the surprised look in Byakuya's dark eyes. "Oh yes, I know things. All sorts of things. You never quite know what I do know because I have my secrets. After all I have to keep some secrets," he continued, face becoming impassive once more as he sat there. "Don't think I don't know what will happen, what you will be ordered to do. I know how the Central 46 treats those who aren't under their control much less those who can upset their precious power."

"I have a feeling that there's more to that sentence then what you have said," Yamamoto stated, brown eyes sliding to him.

Ichigo raising an eyebrow as he nodded. "You see, Kuchiki? You can learn a thing or two from your sou-taicho there," he hummed. "As I said, I know how the Central 46 treats those who aren't under their control much less those who can upset their precious power, even if it means that they throw off the balance of the Three Worlds. As long as they and the Four Head Clans stay in control, they don't particularly care."

Standing up, he turned his back to the two men and walked over to the windows once more, watching whatever it was that he was watching once again. Seeing that they were not going to get any more from their young prisoner, Yamamoto looked to Byakuya before heading out of the holding place and to his office, the two men not speaking until they were sitting at the elder male's desk.

"What is it that he meant about the balance, sou-taicho?" Byakuya asked, having never heard of such a thing before. "And why would it be upset by the way the Seireitei is being run?"

Yamamoto stared at Byakuya, seeing the young man that his taicho had once been, the young man that had been so eager to learn and explore, find out about how things worked and balanced each other. The young man that had been crushed when Urahara and Yoruichi had both left him without their ability to draw him out, leaving him with a mask of ice between him and the rest of the world.

"The three worlds as you know are the Living World, Hueco Mundo and of course here, Soul Society. There is a delicate balance, as we all know, between the Pluses, the living humans and of the hollows, which can be thrown off. If you destroy too many of the beings that are a part of this balance, you can throw it off. Such as the Quincys, who were once a heavy part of this balance. But when they were started to be killed, the outer edges of the Rukigon have gotten worse in the many years since that war," Yamamoto sighed, lacing his fingers together and leaning forward. "There is much of this world that has been destroyed because they threatened the power that the Clans and the Central 46. And I fear that we are now facing the repercussions of our actions that were demanded by both."

Byakuya suddenly felt very sick and very worried that they would face their destruction by the pretty ryoka who sat so serenely in a jail cell, knowing exactly what kind of decision would be handed down to them by the Central 46.


	44. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 48

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 48

Characters: Ichigo, Grell

Word count: 1,313

Warnings: nothing

AN: I am sick. I am tired. And I have things to do. Can I get one damn day to myself? Please? Outside of that, I'm good. I'm listening to oldie Christmas songs.

Enjoy.

* * *

Feeling the subtle power of his grandfather and Byakuya walk away from his cell, and then the building he was housed in, Ichigo's lips twitched before looking at the bed, the shadows under it twitching. He watched as Grell slowly wiggled his way out from under the bed and stood, shaking his head in some amusement as his friend huffed and shoved his hair back out of his face.

"I hate that I have to crawl out from under the damn bed as if I'm some childhood monster," Grell complained as he smoothed his hair down, getting a smirk from his friend.

"But to some, you are a childhood monster," Ichigo teased, getting a huff and a flash of sharp teeth from him. "Did you hear the conversation?" he asked, flopping down onto the bed, kimono splitting open and exposing long legs as he sat back, looking highly amused when his friend groaned.

"I think that Byakuya of yours is kind of dunce for all of the fact that he was raised in part by two different geniuses," Grell stated, Ichigo shaking his head.

"He suppressed that part of his childhood, Grell, or at least tried to suppress it. You can tell by the way he reacts to sudden surprises and subtle hints," Ichigo said, sitting down. "I'm trying to decide if I'm surprised or not surprised that their people who do the reviews don't notice it."

"Byakuya is clan head of a high clan, so they tend to ignore shit. It's the same way in the Archives and Receiving Rooms," Grell stated, joining his friend on the bed and bumping their shoulders together. "It probably happens in the Living World too, despite the fact that such things are usually ignored for the most part," he stated.

"You wouldn't be wrong," Ichigo sighed, shaking his head. "I really do not know why...but I think Central 46 has been taken care of, was taken care of long ago," he said after a moment, biting at his thumb nail.

Grell looked at his friend before frowning heavily. "Fuck, you may be right. When we first got here, I tried to get into where they live but I found a high level...kido I think it is. A high level Kido ward that shouldn't have been there in the first place," he stated, sitting up straight. "But it wasn't that important to me at the time since we had to worry about the Archive and the such," he continued, Ichigo standing up and starting to pace.

"Did it feel as if it had been there for a while?" he asked, Grell nodding his head in reply. "Fuck. You'll have to tell the others before anything happens and before you visit the frosty one."

"Which I'm going to do later this evening. From what I've seen, he tends to stay late, meet with people and do some last minute paperwork. His Fukutaicho stays around sometimes to help too," Grell told him, already arranging his time line in his head as he thought. "I think that they will be willing to do what needs to be done if we suggest that there is more to it all than what they think is going on."

"That and my father was their taicho before he left after helping my mother," Ichigo hummed. "Tell them the story of my family but keep away from names and places. Make it ambiguous," he stated, Grell nodding his head with a smirk.

"Oh, I can do that," Grell promised before frowning, becoming serious suddenly. "How are you doing, Ichigo?" he asked softly, curling their fingers together, squeezing his hand gently.

Ichigo sighed and rested his head against his friends shoulder. "Yeah, I am. I just forgot how much I hate being alone for the most part. I can't just go into another room after working on a project and being able to talk with someone. Be it you or be it one of the others, I always had someone around me for the last three years," he said, eyes closing as Grell played with his braid, the gentle tugging soothing him. "It's kinda lonely."

"Well luckily you won't have to worry about this for very long, sweety. This will be all over with in a day or two, and then we'll finish off this shit, hopefully," Grell soothed, getting a soft smile from his friend.

"As long as the guy who is pulling the strings doesn't fuck our own strings over," Ichigo huffed, getting a chuckle.

"Well, considering you snipped the strings on one of his puppets so easily? I'm sure we can snip the rest of them with a bit of maneuvering," Grell drawled with a smirk dancing on his lips. "We just need to figure out how to find said strings and what it will take to snip them," he continued, musing aloud as Ichigo smiled into his shoulder.

"We'll do that soon enough, I have no doubt," Ichigo told his friend. "I have a feeling that our two friends will actually be working on that while you work on our frosty one and my love watches over everything else going on," he drawled, Grell nodding his head with a smirk. "So for now, we need to make sure we're ready for what is to come."

Grell snorted. "Knowing our luck they'll want to execute you as soon as they can get away with it. Do you know what you're going to say when it comes time for that?" he asked, tilting his head to look down at Ichigo with curious eyes.

Ichigo nodded his head with a smile. "I plan on telling my story in full. Make them think of what their actions cost in the large scheme of things," he said, sitting up straight with a thoughtful look upon his face. "They need to learn that all beings, be they humans with powers that rival their own to the very beings that are created by their own people, are a part of the delicate balance. Should the Soul Society fall, the rest of the afterlife worlds must take over their jobs, which will strain everyone until things balance out. And this will echo throughout the other two worlds."

"War, death, mayhem, chaos, all sorts of things that are ingrained into the human genetic," Grell sighed, imagining just how the Living World would descend into a living hell before things were once more balanced out. There was a reason there had been two World Wars in such a short time, after all. The Society of Souls that had covered the Americas had gone under when they had decided that the balance wasn't important and everything had been thrown into chaos. He did not want to see that happen again.

Twice was enough for him.

Sighing, Ichigo nodded once more, brown eyes seeking out Grell's florescent yellow eyes and catching them, shining with understanding. "Come on, Grell. My guard is going to be traveling past here in a few and you need to go do what you need done," he said, squeezing their laced fingers once more before standing up and letting go of the Grim Reapers hand.

Grell groaned and nodded his head, wrinkling his nose in distaste. "Yes, I suppose so," he huffed, smoothing back his hair. "So, let's get this going," he stated, moving to lay on the floor and sliding back under the bed, the shadows writhing as he disappeared, making Ichigo smile and take his place standing before the window once more. As his guard came by, the Shinigami stared at the pretty male and tilted his head at the secretive little smile that sat upon pink lips.

The dark humor dancing in brown eyes made him scurry past the cell quickly though.


	45. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 49

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 49

Characters: Hitsugaya, Grell, some Rangiku (background)

Word count: 1,433

Warnings: nothing

AN: Guys...are well really already on chapter 49? Really? *stares in wonder* Guys! This story has 56 chapters total so there's only like 7 more weeks left to this story! *flails* And then we move onto another story. I has best get Our Truths done then huh? *goes off to do that*

Enjoy!

* * *

Tapping one finger on the bottom of his lip as he stared at the knocked out and tied up Rangiku Matsumoto and Toshiro Hitsugaya, he tried to work out how to wake up one without waking up the other. Finally remembering how to wake someone up from the dust that he had used, Grell smiled and pulled out the other packet of dust and tilted Hitsugaya's head back, sprinkling the powder over the pert nose, watching as it was inhaled.

"Okay, let's see here. Come on, oh frozen one, time to wake up for me," he drawled as he slipped the blindfold over the icy blue eyes before they were fully open and focusing on him. "There we go. Now, let's see here. Welcome back to the world of the awake."

Shaking his head and frowning when he found himself unable to see, Hitstugaya groaned as he tried to get free of the rope around his wrists. "What's going on?" he snarled, eyebrows furrowed together as Grell chuckled softly.

"What is going on is your re-education of how the world around you is run," Grell said, patting his cheek with a smile. "I'm here to do that," he stated, moving around to pull himself onto the taicho's desk, crossing his legs with a smile.

"What do you mean how the world around us is run?" Hitsugaya snarled, tugging at the ropes once more.

Grell hummed softly and shook his head in some amusement. "Oh, dear little child, how I wish I wasn't the one to do this. You see, I'm not the most delicate touch and I'm more likely to shatter that illusion that you have with a sledge hammer then to actually just gently tap it so that it starts to crack," he drawled, gazing at Hitsugaya before checking on his fukutaicho. "And don't worry about your fukutaicho there, Hitsugaya, she's fine. Alive and well, but knocked out for the duration of this time."

"What did you do to her?" Hitsugaya asked, going stiff at the thought of something bad happening to his fukutaicho. As much as she annoyed him, she was still his fukutaicho and they'd been working in the same division ever since he had become a Shinigami.

"Nothing, child. Just knocked her out just like I did you. I don't know how long it'll take her to wake up so she's lightly restrained should she wake up when I'm not looking, but nothing else," Grell promised, Hitsugaya nodding his head. "Now, tell me, what do you know about the True Balance of the Worlds? I have no idea what you call it here but that's what I know it as."

"The Balance?" Hitsugaya asked, furrowing his eyebrows together as he shifted in his bonds. "I know that the amount of living souls always needs to be balanced to the amount of dead souls," he said, tilting his head to the side. "If we don't keep a specific ratio things get out of hands, more souls becoming hollows."

"Why am I not surprised by this shit?" Grell asked, groaning and rubbing at his face, nearly ready to growl and strangle some idiots. "You lot lost the history, didn't you? Either someone moved the damn books and suppressed the files, or the information was lost into some idiot clan's libraries accidentally on purpose."

"What the fuck do you mean?" Hitsugaya yelled, jerking his head towards the voice, eyes narrowing behind the blindfold as he stilled.

"I mean that it's something that has happened once before. One of the Soul Designation Points collapsed because they lost their Balance and became such a dark place that they literally collapsed into themselves."

"But…" Hitsugaya breathed, remembering those years. He had been in training still but the influx of souls and the strain had sent everyone scrambling to cover the fact that something was going so very wrong somewhere. "Is that what sent the higher ups into a frenzy when I was just starting my schooling?" he asked, voice surprised but still lingering on pained at the thought of so many souls being forcibly sent into the life stream or into a rebirth of life.

"Yeah, that collapse threw out the balance and threw the Living World into a state of chaos," Grell said, remembering those days and how he had traveled with William, Sebastian and Ciel around the world to help things smooth out. It hadn't been the first time that demons had helped those that worked on collecting souls, so it hadn't been much of a surprise. "I remember those days. All soul agents worked together, except you guys because you listened to your damn Central 46 who are in the pockets of the clans. Which means that you're all their little monkeys and those who get in their way or come close to exposing them and their workings are taken out. I'm sure you've heard of Urahara right?" he asked.

"The exiled traitor? He helped Shinigami who were turned into Hollows," Hitsugaya snorted, Grell shaking his head with a sigh.

"No, their souls, so to speak, were split in half, creating a hollow within their very beings," Grell stated. "Hollows are souls, they just live off of the instinct that keep us alive. You got to remember, all souls are humans, just without a suit made of flesh and bone, and we all have instincts that keep us alive. It's what gets us out of the way of danger."

"So they were still...themselves?" Hitsugaya asked slowly, Grell humming softly, waiting for the links to start falling into place for the icy taicho. "Urahara knew this, didn't he?" he breathed.

"Yeah, he knew. And he helped them come from the edge of pure instinct once they were somewhere safe in the human world," Grell stated. "I've talked with them and they are quite happy, if not a bit on the paranoid side since you guys seem to have this need to try to fuck them over just because of your clans," he said. "Especially since it wasn't their fault and the one who did it to them has gotten away with it and so much more . Until now that is."

"Until now? Who is it?" Hitsugaya asked, settling into the chair and not fighting against his bonds any more. He wanted to hear what the other had to say, knowing that it was important at that moment to know what he had to offer him.

Grell smiled, leaning back on his hands as he hummed. "Well, my partner was right that despite your reputation as a cold-hearted bastard that follows the rules, you are open minded," he hummed, legs kicking back and forth a bit. "Let me tell you about how us coming here was started. And you'll probably hear this in a bit more detail later on from someone else, so listen to what I have to say. This way you can find out more of this shit all on your own."

"Alright, tell me about it all," Hitsugaya stated, nodding his head, mind ready to start on figuring out things as he was told.

"It all started over 19 years ago with a Shinigami and a Quincy, one of the so called last pure ones, meeting in an interesting way. She had just landed in the sight of our target and he used her as an experimental test subject," Grell started. As the story continued, keeping away from names and places, Hitsugaya's horror grew until he had to be released with a quick flick of a knife that Grell was carrying so he could be sick into a trash can. Once he had assured Grell that he was fine, the Grim Reaper slipped out of the office window with barely any sound.

As he pulled off the blindfold, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Hitsugaya shivered and looked to where there was a piece of paper and two small cloth bags with tags on them. Picking up one, he found that it would awaken Rangiku within a few seconds. Picking up the other one, he sighed softly and sent out a thanks that the man had left it. As Rangiku woke up, he heated some water and poured the tea powder into it, stirring it as he thought of how to tell his fukutaicho that everything that they had known was nearly a lie.

And that a small group of ryoka was going to change everything for the better.


	46. Whisper to ME 1 Pt 50

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 50

Characters: Hitsugaya, Rangiku,

Word count: 1,531

Warnings: nothing

AN: I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas and a wonderful weekend! I had an okayish one. My friend went into the ER (again but she's hanging out with me now and she's hanging out with me for a few days) but I got to just hang out and relax. Enjoy myself and relax and all that good stuff.

But for now, I hope you enjoy this lovely story!

* * *

"Taicho, why are we doing this?" Rangiku huffed as she ran along side Hitsugaya, the both of them using the roofs and open patches of walls to get to the Central 46 entry way. After Hitsugaya had told her what he had been told by their story teller, they had set off to the Central 46 without much more explanation, Hitsugaya shaking his head.

"Because we need to make sure that there is no one in the Central 46, Matsamoto," Hitsugaya said in reply as they landed before the long pathway that led to the large building that housed those who made up the Central 46. "I heard no lies in his tone but still, we need to make sure that all the facts are straight."

"I see," Rangiku breathed, feeling unsettled, upset, by everything that she had learned. She had always thought that the Seireitei worked well, but to know that there was an undercurrent of darkness that had been so well hidden had shaken her world up. Especially when she had heard that there was someone playing spy in an effort to stop the puppet master from doing whatever he was planning on doing. "And if it is empty, taicho?" she asked.

"We head to the Great Archive and follow the hints," Hitsugaya stated before starting down the walkway, Rangiku following after him, eyes flicking about them. It was unnaturally silent around the building, seeming as if there was no one there to greet them. Usually, there was someone who would be meeting them halfway to find out why they were there before heading to tell the person that they were seeing that they were there. But so far, no one met them.

"Sir," she said, voice nervous as she shifted more to the right, ready for any kind of attack that should come for them, body tensing.

"I know, Matsamoto, I know," Hitsugaya said, teal eyes looking around them as he frowned heavily and rolled his shoulders. "This is not good and I have a feeling that we're not quite as alone as we may think," he stated under his breath, Rangiku nodding her head as she placed one hand on the hilt of her zanpactou. "Stay sharp."

"Yes, taicho," was the reply, her voice cool and calm, steely. The two words told him that she was as ready as one could be when a person felt as if they were about to be ambushed.

Arriving at the doors, Hitsugaya reached out and swung a long rope that sat to the side of the double doors, ringing a bell that sounded out loud and clear. They shared a look when nobody came to the door to allow them entrance, something that wasn't correct. "This is not good," he mused, Rangiku nodding her head. Turning back to the doors, he knocked once, the door opening under the pressure of his fist. "Really not good."

"Nope," Rangiku sighed, swallowing heavily as they stepped into the hallway and headed down it to where they knew the homes were for the members of the 46. Stepping into a large dome like area where several homes stood, they stared at just how empty everything was. Every door to the homes were open instead of closed and there seemed to be a death like quiet over the area, a particular scent tickling their noses. "Taicho…"

"I know. Come on, let's go," Hitsugaya breathed out, stepping away from the homes and towards the hallways. "We can do nothing here except go to the sou-taicho and tell him what we found."

"Yes, sir," Matsumoto said, nodding her head as she gave her taicho a sharp look, following him quickly out of the Central 46. They ran down the hallways, past the doors and over the walkway, Hitsugaya scowling heavily the entire way. "Taicho, was I smelling what I think I was?" she asked as they took to the roofs and walls once more.

"Yes, you were," Hitsugaya stated. "Stale blood. I think we don't have a Central 46 and haven't for a while now, so all of the orders that had come down from them weren't from them, but someone else."

"Could it be that puppet master?" she asked quietly, running beside him and unsurprised by the fact that she got a nod as they turned towards the direction of the Great Archive. "So we go to the Archive, find what we need to find and then what?"

"Go and see if the sou-taicho knows anything. And if he does, why he's allowing everything to happen as it is," Hitsugaya stated as they landed before the building that they were after. Entering, they sighed at finding no one there to greet them, much less ask why they were there before heading deeper into the shelves, looking for one particular section. Hitsugaya figured that they should look into files from around three years prior and work their way from their.

As they came to a stop before the right shelf that lead to the information from that year, Rangiku went stiff as she whipped around, a lock of red hair slinking around the shelf. "Sir," she said, reaching out and tugging on Hitsugaya's hakama, "there's someone here."

"Follow them. I have a feeling that they'll lead us to where we need to go," Hitsugaya stated, heading to where Rangiku had pointed. Running down the line of shelves, he rounded the corner, spotting blood red hair flying around another corner several aisles ahead of them. The two Shinigami followed after the flashes of red, sometimes catching sight of a booted foot along with the hair.

They found themselves in a normally locked up section of the Great Archive, panting and standing before a table with three different scrolls sitting before them as soft laughter filled the air. "Good luck with your hunt," came the purred words from the shadows, making them go stiff as their eyes darted around in worry.

"Looks like we found our start," Hitsugaya breathed out after a few moments of silence. Walking over to the scrolls, he picked up the thinnest one and found it to be an investigation scroll into the disappearance of one Isshin Shiba, head of the now fallen Shiba clan who was now run by his older sister. "I think I know where this is going," he said quietly, reading over the file and remembering the pain of his taicho just one day disappearing from the world around them.

"Taicho...is that…?" Rangiku breathed, her eyes wide as she stared at the file in Hitsugaya's hands.

"Yeah, it is," Hitsugaya sighed, shaking his head with a heavy frown on his lips. "It's Shiba-taicho's investigation file and it looks like they didn't try very hard to find out where he disappeared off to," he said, coming to the end of the scroll.

"It looks as if it was called off by the sou-taicho for some odd reason," Rangiku said, reading over her shorter taicho's shoulder, also frowning with him. "But...what does this have to do with the ryoka?" she asked.

"Apparently everything," Hitsugaya said, shaking his head. "It's also the start to where we need to go for what's happening now. I have a feeling that this is the first piece of the puzzle but it's tied into the story," he continued.

"The story that the person told you right?" was the question. "But I thought that they had found him dead. At least that's what they told us when we asked."

"Apparently they lied to us and for a good reason if it was halted by the sou-taicho," Hitsugaya stated as he picked up another scroll. This one had been written and sealed by the sou-taicho and was a full report of where Isshin Shiba had been when they had found him. It had been decided that due to the loss of his powers, he would live out the years as a human until his gigai gave out much like a human body did. Or until his powers were fully regained.

Whatever came first.

"We need to speak with Yamamoto-sou-taicho," Hitsugaya stated as he rolled up the second scroll, picking up the third and seeing that it was a full report from Urahara and Yoruichi on what had happened to Isshin. They had only read the first line, garnering that much information from the report, before a butterfly flitted into the room.

Holding out her hand, Rangiku frowned as she listened to the message before looking to Hitsugaya. "We've been called to a meeting, taicho's and fukutaicho's," she said, shaking her head. "There's been a decision made about the leader of the ryoka that they just caught a few hours ago. We're to hear it at the meeting."

"This can't be good," Hitsugaya grunted before he shoved two of the scrolls into a hidden pocket. "Grab that scroll and hide it. We'll drop them off in the Tenth and hide them until after the meeting," he commanded, Rangiku quick to do so as they left the Great Archives.


	47. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 51

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 51

Characters: Ichigo, Gin

Word count: 1,494

Warnings: nothing

AN: Yes, we learn more things about Gin. And yes, this is ALL leading up to something. Just wait for it.

And yes! In Whisper to Me 2, you will see more of our favorite characters! Promise.

Enjoy!

* * *

Sighing softly as he ran his fingers through the end of his braid to straighten it out, Ichigo looked up and gazed at the man who had just stepped before the bars of his cell, gazing at him with slitted eyes. "So, what can I do for you?" he asked, voice soft and curious as he walked over to the tray that sat on a small pull down table. Looking over the offerings, he sighed and wished for a kitchen of his own or at least Sebastian's cooking. But he knew that the demon was preparing for what was to come, so he couldn't call for him to beg for real food.

"What was tha' powder?" Gin asked lowly, making sure that he wouldn't be heard by anyone that they didn't want to hear. He wasn't sure as to who Aizen had under his control and who he didn't, despite the fact that he was supposedly his heir.

Ichigo tilted his head and cocked an eyebrow at him. "Do you really wish to know?" he asked softly, Gin just giving him a look that gave him his answer. "I noticed that when I was fighting against you that something was off with your abilities and reiryoku, a strand of something that wasn't supposed to be there," he hummed softly. The other male lent against the bars and narrowed his eyes. "It was in there tight, but it was coming loose, so I'm guessing that you had learned about it before I even did anything."

"Yea, I had learned 'bout it before ya came around," Gin admitted, nodding his head as Ichigo finally picked up the bowl of rice and chopsticks.

"My father had friends who were long ago looking into Aizen's zanpactou and what it can do. They guessed really, but they did learn how to break the hold and hypnotism over a person, thus creating that very powder. Mind you, I didn't know this until we had confirmed their suspicions. Really, it's like reishi, but it's more than that. It...it works at a base level," Ichigo said, taking a bite of his rice, thinking of how to explain it without confusing the other man before him like Urahara had confused him when he had talked about it. "It gets into the blood stream, either by the lungs or by injection or even by drinking it in some form of liquid. By the end of all of this, the entirety of Seireitei shall be breathing the stuff in and breaking the spell held over them by Aizen's zanpactou," he continued after he had chewed and swallowed his bite.

"So you plan on undermining him from the inside. And you knew who it was the entire time, didn't you?" Gin hissed, Ichigo shaking his head.

"No, but he was the most likely. With all of the information that was found by Urahara-san and Yoruichi-san, along with their memories, blurred as they are by Aizen's mind-fucking and time, they narrowed it down to only a few people." Ichigo rolled his shoulders with a sigh. "We followed those people around when we first got here, my friends going around and talking with people while the rest of us continued to plan and get ready for what was to come," he said, shaking his head. "When I felt that taint to your power, I figured that it was the hypnotism that I was feeling and took a chance with the powder. I'm glad that it did work on you and that you're free now."

"Yes, I'm free and I do have ya to thank for that," Gin hummed, nodding his head as Ichigo sat in his chair and ate another bite of food. "So what are ya goin' to do now?" he asked. "You know that it's gonna be ordered that you die and I have a feelin' that it's 'cause you'll end up in the way of his plans," he drawled.

Ichigo snorted and used one finger to wipe his bottom lip. "It's because he tried ta get all of my family killed but hasn't been able to without raising suspicions. At least the family that's here at the moment," he replied, shaking his head with a sad sigh. "He was able to get my father and two sisters unfortunately and I think he probably got my mother too when I was six."

Gin straightened before cursing quietly under his breath. "Ya were part of the family that he wanted gone because of the amount of power they had. He worried that if you learned how to wield that power that you would become a roadblock in his plans and he does not like roadblocks."

"Yes, I was part of that family. Luckily enough for me, my mother knew people and made sure that everything was up to date at any given time," he sighed, running a hand over what was left of his braid before redoing it and tying it off, his bowl of rice and chopsticks balanced on his knees. "You'll hear the full story when it comes time for me to die, so don't worry about the details. Just know that I got very lucky that I ended up on a field trip out of town with the rest of my class," he sighed, as he picked up his bowl once more.

"So things are gonna get interesting huh? Do you have any solid plans and should I keep my mouth shut about this when it comes to Yumi-kun and 'Kaku-kun?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at the smirk from Ichigo.

"I thought I noticed a well fucked glow about you," Ichigo drawled, smirking at the other male and noting that while he didn't quite flush in the cheeks, his ears turned an interesting shade of pink. "If you think they can keep their traps shut about what is going to happen, I can tell you that it will all come to a head during my execution," he promised.

"Ya do realize that he means to have his war, right? To find whatever it is he's lookin' for, he's gonna need a _shit_ ton of power ta do it," Gin drawled, Ichigo's eyes narrowing as he stood up and walked over to the little fold out table, setting his dish down onto it.

Stalking over to the bars, he lent close to Gin and hissed out, "What the fucking hell is he planning on doing? Does it have to do with his seeming obsession with Karakura Town and my family?"

Gin opened his eyes slightly and stared at him, face pulled into a serious look before he nodded once. "Karakura Town is rife with spiritual power, soaked in it for that matter. It was once home to a powerful youkai and several powerful mikos, long before those of the youkai persuasion decided to hide themselves away from the mortal eye," he drawled. "Now days, it's walked on by thousands of people with some form of power just waiting for the right reason to spark and grow, so it becomes even more saturated. You would think a place like Tokyo would be like Karakura Town but it's not. It's because Tokyo doesn't have that familial feel that Karakura Town does, which means that it does not hold the power that it should."

"So he needs the power that the grounds of Karakura Town holds?" Ichigo breathed, Gin nodding.

"Not just the grounds, but the buildings and the nature and the people. Everything that makes Karakura Town, Karakura," Gin stated before standing straight and looking around once more. "Just remember, if you are unable to stop him, war will come and he will have an army behind him of his making."

"Fuck," Icihgo sighed, nodding his head. "I'll pass on the warning," he promised as Gin smoothed down his kosode sleeves.

"Good. I must leave though. I have a play date planned with two certain someones," Gin drawled, smirking before a butterfly fluttered into the room. Holding up his hand, Ichigo watching him with some curiosity evident in his eyes, he listened to the message before sighing softly. "It seems as if the play date is being pushed back for a while," he mused, the younger male smirking.

"Just keep your mask on and you'll be fine. I have a feeling that it's about my execution to come," Ichigo drawled, highly amused by it all. He knew what was to come and wasn't at all surprised by it, wanting it to happen. What better way to get the snake out of his hole but to lure him out of it by the promise of what he wanted but wasn't going to get.

Smirking to himself as Gin left, Ichigo chuckled softly and ran a hand over his braid once more, waiting for when their plans came to some form of fruition.


	48. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 52

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 52

Characters: Taichos of the Gotei 13

Word count: 1,299

Warnings: nothing

AN: Ooh, looks like things are heating up! *cackles*

So this is late because Monday was spent sleeping. Hospital visits are fun...not. But I hope you still enjoy this chapter, all.

* * *

Yamamoto gazed around the taichos that were standing before him, standing in two lines, evenly split into two groups. He had gotten the expected notification of execution for the one that was known as Ichigo, the young male that was currently sitting in his cell, waiting for the very same order that he had known would come, to come. It was amazing just what his grandchild knew what was going to happen and just how he had worked around it.

"Silence," he called out, calling a halt to the quiet conversations going on around them to come to a halt. He ran his eyes over those who turned to look at him and frowned heavily when he saw the way Gin Ichimaru was standing, not smiling for once, but instead frowning slightly to himself as he gazed at something that only he could see. "I have the decision as to what we are to do with the Ryoka's," he stated once he had the full attention of the taichos of the Gotei 13.

"Sir?" Shunsui asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity at the man who had been his teacher at one time. He had a feeling, based mostly on what Jushiro had told him after his fight against the young man and his own gut that something big was going on.

"We have much to discuss today. Much to go over," Yamamoto hummed, tapping his fingers on the curled end of his zanpactou, watching everyone carefully. Most looked worried, while a couple looked as if they could care less as to what was going on. Aizen though looked rather...content. It made several flags rise up in his head, making him wonder just what was going to happen and how it would happen.

"What are they going to do with the prisoners?" Soi-Fon asked, crossing her arms as she narrowed black eyes slightly at the thought of the ryoka that they had found. She hadn't liked the way they had ignored her or just smirked at her when she had gone to talk with them. And since she hadn't been allowed to do anything but talk with them or try to intimidate them, she hadn't been able to get shit from them.

Especially the last brat who had just told her that her eyes were rather blind to things no matter how much she saw.

"The three known as Orihime, Sado, and Uryu have a different punishment then the one known as Ichigo," Yamamoto stated, watching as his taichos murmured to each other at that fact. Sitting up straighter, he pressed his lips together before sweeping his eyes over the others once more. "The first three ryoka shall have their powers bound if at all possible and their memories removed. I don't think that they can have their powers bound though but we are to try without killing them. After that, they will be placed back into their homes and allowed to believe that nothing has changed. Their memories of their relationship with each other is so ingrained though that we will not remove them but instead just change them to fit to their surroundings."

"Why are we doing this?" Shunsui asked, frowning heavily at the sou-taicho, reaching up to tug his hat down over his face a bit more. He wasn't liking what he was hearing at the moment and it showed in the set and tenseness of his shoulders. Jūshirō pressed against his side in understanding, eyes dark with his own distaste of what was going on.

"It is better if they have their memories removed instead of executed!" Yamamoto yelled, slamming his caned zanpactou down onto the floor with a hard hit, making every taicho fall silent. "They will continue to live and be watched from afar and that is all there is to it."

"Very well," Jūshirō hummed, nodding his head with a frown on his lips. "What are we to do with the one named Ichigo?" he asked, shifting to press his side against Shunsui's shoulder, eyes shuttered as he slowly gazed around, unsurprised that even Gin looked uncharacteristically serious about what was going on. Of the two who seemed to be smiling, only Mayuri didn't surprise him. But Aizen did. Which got his mind thinking about what he had been told before by the young Ichigo.

Yamamoto sighed softly, looking as if there was a heavy weight pressing down upon him, his old eyes dark as he gazed over the gathered taichos. "The Central 46 has demanded that he be executed."

"What!?" came the outcry from most of the taichos before him, making him wince mentally at the cry of outrage. iMayuri looked to be already dreaming of what he could do to the boy's body while Aizen had quickly arranged his face into one of indifference.

"How is the execution to be carried out?" Aizen asked, speaking for the first time since the meeting started.

"He shall be executed by the Sokyoku. He shall be transferred to the Senzaikyu until the time of his execution," he stated, feeling the flinch from the taichos before him. "He is being prepared right now to be moved. Once he is moved, he shall have twenty-four hours to make any last requests and to tell us how he received the powers of a Shinigami. And who the others he was seen with are."

"And if he doesn't tell us?" Soi-Fon asked, raising an eyebrow at the sou-taicho, almost eager for the opportunity to get to really get her claws into the smirking male. She found that it was amazingly easy to hate the young man, feeling that he was somehow mocking her.

"Then we do not get the answers that we are looking for from him. We will get those answers elsewhere if need be," Yamamoto stated, eyes narrowing slightly at Mayuri and then at Soi-Fon. "And that is my last decision. Not even the Central 46 has the say so in this. I have sole discretion over this fact so do not try to circumvent my decision otherwise you shall find yourself in quite a bit of trouble," he warned, voice firm. "For now, you are all dismissed. Go to your divisions, tell them what is happening and what will happen in twenty-four hours time."

"Yes, sou-taicho," the group responded before leaving, breaking off into pairs in some cases, all of them heading to their divisions. Only three of the taichos, including the sou-taicho himself, saw Aizen Souske's small, smug smile as he left, trying to look placid and unaffected with what was going on. Jūshirō and Shunsui shared a look and promised themselves that they would speak with their taicho and teacher about what was going on.

"There's more going on than what we are seeing," Jūshirō breathed out once they had gotten far enough away from the rest of the taichos.

"Of course there is. We'll just need to figure it out. Though did you see our dear Gin's face? He looked rather upset about something or another," Shunsui drawled, shaking his head with a smile dancing upon his lips. "We'll figure it out eventually I have a feeling."

"If not today, then in the next twenty-four hours," Jūshirō chuckled, leading his lover back to their divisions, bounding over roofs and heading to do their jobs. All of the taichos were either looking forward to the next day for the execution or they were all wondering just what was going on in their world that a young male, just barely in his adult years, would be sent to his final death by the Central 46.

While yet another could taste the power to come that was his due.


	49. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 53

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 53

Characters: Ichigo, Taichos, Fukutaichos, Sebastian, Ciel, Ikkaku, Yumichikia

Word count:

Warnings: Full on story

AN: So we hear the delight that his story. It's getting closer to the end from here! Hugs to all!

Enjoy you guys.

* * *

He was ready for what was to come, so very ready. They had placed a collar around his neck, the name of which escaped him at the moment, and attached little leashes to it. He had simply smiled placidly at them and adjusted the cuffs of sekkiseki stone around his wrists. He didn't want them accidentally slipping off suddenly just because he knew how to work around the darn stone after all.

Because, as Sebastian had told him, they weren't going to let him go into a dangerous situation if he didn't know how to save himself should they, for some odd reason, be unable to save him.

"Are you ready to be taken out to face your final death?" one of the masked Shinigami asked, Ichigo glancing up at him with deep brown eyes that seemed to shine with a hidden knowledge.

Of secrets that were to never be known by them.

"Of course," Ichigo hummed, allowing them to lead the way out of the tower where he had stayed for his supposed last night of life. He was ready, feeling his mark pulse just under the collar of his plain, white kimono that he had been told to dress in for what was to come. It was comfortable enough and it covered the faint almost silver Faustian Mark on his chest.

He could feel Sebastian and Ciel just on the edge of his mind, feel Zangetsu and Tensa ready themselves, wondering if now was when they would be called, his power sizzling and dancing just under the surface. It made him want his lover to help him work off the excessive energy that he could feel dancing in his veins. It pulled a sigh from him as he walked over the bridge that would take him to his execution, standing between the four veiled shinigami that would act as the ones who would set free the Sokyoku to destroy his very soul and send him back to the Life Stream.

He hid his smirk at that thought by bowing his head.

Coming to stand before the gathered group of Shinigami, spotting the ones that he had heard about watching him carefully and seeing that Jushiro wasn't standing there. Something about the way that Shunsui was looking rather thoughtful made him feel better about it so he put that thought to the side as Yamamoto stepped up and stared at him.

"Ichigo No Name, you are hereby charged and found guilty of stealing powers that are not your own and invasion of the Seireitei. This is the last time that you will be able to say your piece," Yamamoto stated, his voice rumbling as his stared at his grandson, old eyes dark as he watched full lips pull into a smirk. and brown eyes turned dark.

"Are you sure you really wish to hear this particular story?" Ichigo hummed, tilting his head, braid sliding and swinging behind him as a smile full of mischief formed in place of the smirk.

"We will stand here all day if need be," Yamamoto proclaimed, Yumichika and Ikkaku sharing a look with Gin near where Yamamoto stood, the three men shifting to perch on several boulders that were close by to watch everything and still be able to help should it come down to it.

"Wonderful," Ichigo hummed, shifting on his feet before looking around, unsurprised when his eyes were covered by a blindfold, allowing it to happen, knowing that it would just help him in the long run. "Let me tell you a story about a clan. A clan that ranged from the Living World into Soul Society and back. This clan was powerful, mastering in explosions and fireworks, making their name with them while their militaristic connections made them quite wealthy and powerful."

The words rolled over everyone there, conjuring the vision of faceless clan members in kimonos, close and smiling and happy. He didn't raise his voice to be heard, as if the wind itself was carrying every syllable that came from pink lips.

"This clan did everything it needed to in order to help those that they were loyal to. When they were alive, they helped the Emperor of Japan as long as he stayed true to the people. The moment that he turned on the people, they turned on him, and did it with such power that he was often helpless against them. Here, they became members of the Gotei 13, often ascending to the ranks of Taicho and Fukutaicho, a few becoming guardians of the Spirit King. Those that are still guardians still live and hide away, knowing what happened to the rest of their clan would happen to them.

"The clan was killed because of the manipulations of one man. He fabricated lies from truths and used those who hated this clan to his advantage after their head was killed by an innocent pawn in his scheme. So women, children, men...they were all slaughtered, killed by the hidden corps of the Gotei 13 without mercy. Only a few survived and they hid away, one leaving the Seireitei completely to hide away in the Living World after having given up his powers to save the woman who would come to be his wife and mother of his children."

The silence was so absolute that you could hear a pin drop, everyone staring at the blindfolded young man who seemed so relaxed in the face of his death. Several of the Shinigami Taichos and fukutaichos were going stiff in surprise at what was being said by the young child before them. There was no way the kid could have known about what he was saying. He hadn't been born during that time was the thoughts on several of their minds.

A pair of cold brown eyes narrowed as he stared at the confident, beautiful man before him, mind whirling with thought.

"That man gave up his powers to save her when she stumbled across the one who had set up the clan to be massacred trying to create beings that had the power of hollows. Something that should have never been done, but had been done. She had been saved from dying a rather painful death though when the man helped her and he donned a special gigai to take the next dozen years to regain his power in hiding," Ichigo hummed, smirking slightly as he reached up and pulled his braid over his shoulder. "She was a beautiful woman with hair the color of honey and eyes the richness of chocolate. Slim and delicate and powerful to a fault. She was a Quincy, a pure one who wanted nothing more then to find someone who could withstand her power and her attitude.

"She found it in the shinigami who left his clan, knowing that it was safer for them. She found a love that would transcend through time and space, and they had children. Three of them."

The words hit hard, making the gathered Shinigami who didn't know the full story rock mentally, their minds rushing and flying through their thoughts. Hitsugaya had long before gone stiff next to Rangiku who was looking at the young man with glazed, saddened eyes.

The smile on Ichigo's lips were sad, soft. Sweet even as he ran a hand over his hair. "They had a son who wanted to do nothing more than to make his mother happy. When he was three, they had fraternal twins, one dark as the night and one as bright as the day. All three of their children were their pride and joys, bringing a completeness to their lives. But one day when their little boy was six, about to turn seven, on a dark afternoon with the rain pouring over them, they lost their mother to a hollow, one called Grand Fisher.

"You see, the little boy could see things that no human should be able to see. He could see the spiritual world just like his mother could and just like his father could, but he never knew just what he was seeing. So when he saw what he thought was a little girl standing at the edge of a river that was quickly flooding, he ran to help her, never knowing that it was just the lure that Grand Fisher was so known for," he said, the words filled with sadness and old pain.

"Ichigo…" Shunsui breathed out as things started to snap into place in his mind as long fingered hands gripped the long braid.

"The little boys mother ran after him and saved him, losing her own life in the process. After that, things changed in the family. The little boy became the protector that he was named, watching over his sisters and learned about the world that he saw. His sisters changed too. The one dark as night became strong while the bright as day sister became the caretaker," Ichigo hummed, barely reacting to his name being spoken. "But one day it came to a screeching halt in the most painful of ways. Because, see, the one who ordered the massacre of the clan before had found the shinigami who lived life as a man. He found them and sent the hidden corps after the family, but once more he missed someone. He missed the son.

"You see, the son had gone with his class on a long field trip and only came home after his father and his thirteen year old twin sisters had been killed in cold blood. He found them, lying on the ground, the marks of a katana blade on their backs." Ichigo smirked. "You see, the man who had ordered their deaths didn't know something. He didn't know that at one time, the mother had saved a demon from a particularly annoying hunter who just wouldn't stop and so gained a very special contract."

"What is it you're talking about?" Yamamoto called, eyes narrowing as he played his part with obvious delight. Aizen went stiff as he realized something big was about to happen. Something that he didn't want to happen.

Ichigo's eyes started to glow under the blindfold as he smirked, releasing his braid to fall back once more. "You asked, Geryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, if I had something to say," he called out, his voice rising as he lost his smirk. "Oh, but I did have something to say and I still have something more to say. I have things to say about the traitor that pulls at your strings so much like a puppet master." His braid started to slowly dance with his ever rising power as the sekkiseki cuffs started to break. "I have things to say about those who would kill innocent little girls and their father, only to leave their cooling bodies upon the ground for their older brother to find them."

"How can he even access his power? What with the cuffs, it shouldn't be possible," Soi-Fon breathed as black ribbons lined with fiery red and cool silver started to lick up Ichigo's legs, making the kimono dance and the front to fall open, exposing his collar bone.

"But all of these things can be said later. That is, once I do what I have set out to do," he purred. His Faustian Mark flared like liquid silver on his chest, shining against his pale skin as his power continued to rise and the sekkiseki cuffs continued to break. "Come to me, my Demons. Heed your masters call! Sebastian. Ciel. Break me free from that which would hold me captive!" he called out. Power, rich and strong and filled with a darkness so thick it was like ink spilling over the hill, filling the air and spreading before cracking, leaving two demons standing there with Ichigo.

The smaller of the two stood before Ichigo, idly holding a gun out before him, finger on the trigger as dual colored eyes gazed at the group impassively. The taller demon stood behind Ichigo, holding his cuffed wrists in his own hands and idly breaking the sekkiseki cuffs around his wrists, rubbing at the skin that he exposed.

"How...amusing that it has come down to this," Ciel drawled, breaking the spell of silence that had fallen at the demon's appearance.


	50. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 54

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 54

Characters: Ichigo, Taichos, Fukutaichos, Sebastian, Ciel, Ikkaku, Yumichikia

Word count: 2,049

Warnings: Fighting, some blood from wounds, cursing

AN: 3 more chapters after this! (I miscounted okay...sue me, but don't. I broke.) Guys! It's coming to the end! Holy shit! *flops* This was a lot of fun to write and in the last chapter I will explain to you what is going and what will be happening. For now, hugs and kisses to all!

Enjoy!

* * *

"Who are you?" Yamamoto asked as the group behind him placed their hands on their zanpactous.

"I'm the one going to finish the story," Ciel drawled. "You see, that mother's contract was that of help when she or one of her blood called for help. When her son found the bodies of his family on the ground, he called us, making us his guardians. The case of his father's and sister's death is still open actually, one of those things that no one can really figure out. We hunted down the information that we needed and came here."

"I'm sure you can figure out who the boy is by now," Ichigo hummed as Sebastian wrapped his arms around his waist and jumped out of the way of Soi-Fons sudden and failed attack, landing on the large structure. A garden spear head shot out before her and sliced at the ground, making chunks of stone and dust fly up into the air and forced her to jump back as Ciel joined his lover and Ichigo on top of the structure.

"You really shouldn't try to attack one's lover. People do tend to get really upset with you for that," William drawled slowly as his shears retracted to their normal length, holding it before him. "Grell, have you gathered the rest of the information and the other three?" he called out.

"Of course I have," came the chuckle from a long haired red head as he slid out of the shadows that were cast by the execution structure. Hanging from one delicate hand was a chainsaw that had a circle on the bar and looked to be heavily modified, and in the other was what looked to be two small discs in cases and a somewhat thick file. "I got it all. I had to make a quick stop into one of the known bases of his though, William, so that took me a bit longer than planned."

"I figured that was what was taking you so long," William sighed as he bent down and picked up a sealed sword from the ground. It looked like a normal tachi but the sheath seemed to be one with the hilt, a black that was smooth and silky looking, sucking in the light around it but for a thin stripe of silver running along the edge of it. "I picked up your zanpactou, Ichigo," he hummed, turning to Ichigo, who smiled and took it.

Once more power flooded the field as the spirit ribbons licked over Ichigo's body before flashing and leaving him in the outfit that he had been found in. "Thank you for returning Zangetsu to me. They were getting rather….impatient," he drawled, getting a low chuckle, William drawing him close with his free hand.

Ichigo tilted his head back and pressed up into the gentle kiss from his lover before the Grim Reaper pulled back. "Of course, we still have a traitor to the World of Death to deal with," William hummed, smoothing a hand down his lover's back.

"And who is the traitor you keep talking about? I know of nothing like this and my division knows everything!" Soi-Fon called out, eyes narrowed at the fact that the kid has a sealed zanpactou when she knew before that it had been unsealed and in it's shikai state.

"Of course you wouldn't know about it. My grandfather is a crafty old man and passed that trait down to his son and later to me," Ichigo chuckled. "If you haven't figured it out by now, which is highly unlikely in some cases cause I can see you trying to get away without being noticed by those who aren't fooled by your damn shikai, Aizen Souske, I am Ichigo Kurosaki nee Shiba! I am the heir to the Shiba clan and grandson to your very own sou-taicho." He smirked as he sent a glare to the now smirking Aizen. "I am also the reason why all of your plans shall go to waste. You've already lost one ally. I think it's time to lose another one, don't you think?" he purred.

"Of course, there is the fact that Aizen has been running a scam on all of ya," Gin drawled, still sitting next to Yumichika and Ikkaku, holding his own zanpactou before him, hands resting on the hilt. "Course, I can't say much seein' as I landed under his spell too. Though, there is one who wasn't under his zanpactou's hypnosis. After all, only the blind are unable ta be hypnotized," he drawled, eyes sliding over the people there and landing on one Kaname Tousen who just seemed to gaze back at him with an impassive stare, Shuuhei staring at him wide eyed.

"Taicho?" Shuuhei breathed, stepping away slowly as Tosen reached for Suzumushi and pulled him free of his sheath.

"Ah, there you are," Grell purred as he disappeared from his spot sliding to a stop before Tosen, chainsaw held in hand as it revved to life, jerking it into an up-sweep. The blind Shinigami quickly moved out of the way, feeling the power that came off of the chosen tool of the Grim Reaper, tasting it and finding it rich with something that wasn't normal in any way of the word.

"So I see that you've learned who I am then," Aizen sighed, shaking his head as he removed his glasses and slicked his hair back out of his face, glaring at the smugly smiling Ichigo.

"Oh, honey, Urahara has known for many years, ever since you used the now named Vizards as test subjects. What? Did you think that he wouldn't remember exactly what happened all those years ago?" Ichigo snorted as Grell grinned a sharp toothed grin at Tosen, William moving to join him, holding his trimmer in hand and pointing at the rogue Shinigami with narrowed eyes.

"How about you deal with that one and we deal with Aizen, hm?" Sebastian suggested as he stood straight, tugging on his gloves to make them sit right on his hands as he smiled, the look more then enough to make everyone worry about their own lives.

Ciel chuckled as the two Grim Reapers smirked at the now nervous Tosen. Shuuhei just shook his head and moved to stand near his friends. Kira moved to wrap his arms around Shuuhei's arm, soothing him with just a few touches and a few soft words in his ear. "Let's have a bit of fun. I suggest, Yamamoto-san, that you and yours stay out of the way if at all possible. We wouldn't want to accidentally hurt one of yours after all."

Yamamoto nodded his head and moved back out of the way. They had explained to him during one of their meetings that to get in the way of a demon's revenge was to make yourself a target. "Stay out of their way. They shall handle this unless they state that they need help," he stated, the rest of the taichos and fukutaichos moving out of the way and watching with wide eyes.

Grell let out a cackle of delight and swiped at Tosen while Ciel and Sebastian began their own attack against Aizen. Ichigo sighed and came to stand next to Yamamoto, still sheathed zanpactou held loosely in his hand. "I have a feeling that one of three things will happen here. Either Aizen will get away alone, he'll get away with Tosen, or they're both captured. If not killed," he mused softly watching the file that William had been holding fly through the air to land on the ground and slide until it sat before them along with the discs. "Either way, this is the information you'll want for this mess," he said, picking up the file and handing it over to Yamamoto with a smirk.

Yamamoto smirked slightly and took the file and discs, handing them to his fukutaicho with a nod of his head, watching as Grell flew back from a particularly hard hit from Tosen, cursing all the way. "I'll make sure that all of the information is verified and gone over," he promised, unsurprised when Ichigo sighed and pulled his zanpactou free of the sheath and swung it around to the quickly approaching Soi-Fon, pointing it at her with a glare.

"Do you really think that I didn't spend the last three years of my life since my family's death training and learning everything that I could?" he drawled, eyes narrowed. "You'd be surprised at how close Grim Reapers and Shinigami are in the power department."

She stared wide eyed, surprised that the young male before him had actually felt her coming when she had suppressed her power. "How…?" she breathed.

"William is what can be considered a taicho of the Grim Reapers and one of the fastest they have. Hell, when we found Yoruichi and Urahara, Yoruichi and he had a rather interesting race where it was nearly neck and neck," Ichigo sighed as glanced to the side where Sebastian and Ciel were trying to pin down the slick Aizen. "And it's looking like he's going to get away. Little bastard," he snarled turning away from her and joining the fray, clashing swords with Tosen when he landed lucky hits to the two Grim Reapers.

Grell was now sporting several bleeding cuts along his arms and chest, including one that ran from his hip down and around his thigh. William on the other hand looked like he had gone hand to hand with Tosen, and had a forming black eye, split lip and a few other bruises on his face and chest. He was also shaking his head as he tried to clear his head from the hard knock that he had taken. "Fucking bitch," he snarled as the two went back and forth with their blows, Ichigo trying to make it so that he couldn't call up his shikai or bankai.

It was with a yelp and a flail that he was tossed off of Tosen and landed next to his lover with a groan, a small crater forming under him. "I believe that it is time for us to leave now, Tosen. It seems as if we are not welcomed here," Aizen drawled, looking flustered from his own fight.

Blinking several times, Ichigo looked to where Ciel and Sebastian were working on the high class of binding spells that had been thrown at them fast and hard, making it just strong enough to make it so that Aizen could work on getting him and his last ally free of their opponents. "Let us leave," he drawled, snapping his fingers as the watching audience started to move towards them only to come up against a wall of power, stopping them from getting to the two traitors. "Gin, do not think I will not forget this betrayal," he warned as the sky split above them, Menos appearing in the rip.

They were unable to do anything as Ichigo groaned and slowly stood up, everyone watching the two traitors rise in the sky on chunks of land, disappearing into the rip.

"Fuck that hurt," Ichigo finally moaned when the rip closed, giving up on trying to stand, instead just flopping onto his back with a grunt, William grunting with him and just not getting up.

"Well, that went about as well as expected," Yamamoto drawled as he walked up to the three sprawled out males as the two demons joined them, finally having worked off the kido spells that had held them.

"Oh yes, indeed, so well indeed. Can we get Orihime back here please? I believe that she is just waiting with the other two for you to free her and her companions," Ciel sighed as he pulled off his ripped jacket, mourning the loss of it but still using it to staunch the flow of blood from the wound on his side, grunting softly.

"Of course, we will set them free at once," Yamamoto said, eyes turning to the sky with a soft sigh, sad at the loss of two that he had thought would have been at one time loyal to the Seireitei.


	51. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 55

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 55

Characters: Ichigo, Taichos, Fukutaichos, Sebastian, Ciel, Hitsugaya, Orihime, Momo

Word count: 1,364

Warnings: Nothing

AN: Sorry this is kind of late. I was super busy this week and had things to do before I got things up. So this is this weeks story! Enjoy. :D

* * *

Rolling his shoulders with a grunt, Ichigo smiled when his lover limped over to him and sat down, having been healed from his sudden concussion by the Fourth divisions fukutaicho. It was rather amusing to him at the moment, finding that they had fought a supposedly all powerful taicho of the Gotei 13 and had walked away with what amounted to bumps and scrapes.

"You know this is going to end up going down in the history books as the most pathetic fights right?" Ichigo asked, William huffing in amusement and nodding his head in agreement.

"Yes, I do believe that it shall happen as such," William hummed, running a hand through his mussed hair, sighing as he relaxed against the boulder that Ichigo had claimed as his own. "It shall be interesting putting this into my report."

"Both of our reports. Yes, I can just imagine the shit that we're gonna get for this fuck up," Ichigo snorted, shaking his head with a smile. "Grell is going to have a heyday with his own report to. I can just imagine the headache that will come with that particular one," he huffed, groaning when his ribs gave a sharp protest.

"At the very least, we won't have to worry about your healing," William noted, brushing a hand over his lovers braid, smiling softly when Ichigo just gave him an amused look. "You do realize that Zangetsu will need to be reforged right?" he asked, voice soft.

"I figured. Tensa did warn me about that happening and the fact that I will need a proper focus for the rest of my power, along with training," Ichigo replied, watching as Orihime was placed down onto the ground by a shinigami and allowed to walk over to them, her escort following close behind. "I will speak with grandfather about talking with the Royal Guards. They have a forger who should be strong enough to deal with him. Hey, Orihime. Did they treat you okay?" he asked, turning his attention to the woman before him with a smile dancing upon his lips.

"They treated me just fine, Kurosaki-kun," Orihime promised, coming to kneel next to him, barrettes already glowing with power, three of her fairies coming out without the normal command. "Just the broken ribs?" she asked as she concentrated on that.

"Bruised back too more then likely, Orihime-san. I saw him go down rather hard," William drawled, giving his sheepish looking lover a knowing look, shaking his head in some amusement. "If you could make sure that the worst of it is healed, I can make sure that he is well taken care of tonight," he promised, Orihime smiling and nodding her head in agreement.

"I can do that," she promised, shifting on her knees to do just that for her younger friend. "Uryu is very much unhappy and wasn't willing to allow another to carry him while Sado is just too big to be easily carried," she stated, noticing that the Grim Reaper was gazing around, looking to see if he could spot the other two of their party. "So I was carried here while those two and their escorts walked."

"Good," Ichigo hummed, sighing as the throbbing of his back slowly relaxed under her gentle care. "Thank you, Orihime, really."

"It's not a problem," Orihime chirped, standing up and moving to help with Grell, who was snarling at the person who was supposed to help him. "Let me get him." The person sighed and smiled, allowing her to deal with the shark toothed Grim Reaper.

"We're going to war aren't we?" Ichigo quietly asked his lover, allowing the other man to pull him close and nuzzle into his hair with a quiet sigh.

"Yeah, it looks like we are," William mused, nuzzling the soft fiery colored hair before pulling back and taking a look at the sad but determined eyes of his lover. "But, you have me, and your demons, and Urahara, and even, as loath I am to say it, Grell, backing you up if nothing else. And I doubt that your grandfather will allow you to fight this one alone."

"You are quite correct, young man," Yamamoto stated as he walked up to the two, Ciel and Sebastian following after him, both of them already healed due to their powers. "You will have the full force of the Gotei 13 to help in the stopping of this evil. I do not wish to see any world destroyed because of Aizen's evil being allowed to spread unchecked."

"Sou-taicho?" Jushiro asked as he stepped up beside the older male, eyes taking in the damage to the grounds around them before looking to the rather tired Ichigo who was using his lover as a way to stay propped up.

"We are going to war, Jushiro-taicho. I need you and Shunsui to both go to the Royal Guards and speak with them about reforging a very powerful zanpactou. We shall need my grandson at full strength and his partner shall need to be capable of all that it can," Yamaoto stated, Jushiro going wide eyed before nodding his head.

"Of course, sou-taicho," he breathed before moving to gather Shunsui and taking off with him to the very heart of the Seireitei. It was going to be a very interesting time it seemed. Once the two had left, Yamamoto stood up straight and gazed around at his taichos, fukutaichos, and a few who weren't either.

"This day we have seen one of our own betray us. From here on out, we are to work together and grow stronger for the upcoming war. I do not know what it is that Aizen has in store for us, but it is time that we change that which has allowed him to come into being. It is time that we look at the laws that govern us and to redefine what it is that we, as Shinigami, stand for and what we can and must do for the rest of our lives," he called out. "I want everyone to write out full journals of what they remember of their times interacting with him. Everyone shall also undergo exams, both mental and physical. No one is exempt."

"This can't be true," came the outcry from a small girl with dark hair, bun covered by a small hair cloth. Her brown eyes glimmered with tears as Hitsugaya sighed next to her, trying to get her to shut up. "I don't believe that Aizen-sama would do such a thing. It must have been the demons forcing him to run away to save his life," she stated, turning her tear filled glare to the two now bored demons who were standing next to Ichigo, who had stood up with a groan and was mid-stretch.

"My dear, we can not be fooled by such a simple zanpactou," Ciel drawled as he fixed his gloves and shirt, despite the fact that his shirt was damaged much like his lovers. "I believe the only person who has ever been able to pull the wool over our eyes, so to speak, was Undertaker. But he is much like your Jushiro-taicho, or even your sou-taicho."

"I do suggest that you get used to the fact that you have been used and manipulated by the man. Move on and get ready for war," Sebastian drawled, smirking down at his lover as Momo snarled.

"I don't believe you! You...You somehow set all of this up!" she cried, lunging at them but falling to the ground when Hitsugaya tackled her, Renji helping to keep her down and bind her with a quick kido spell.

"Forgive her, sou-taicho," Hitsugaya panted, standing up once Momo had been taken cared of. Yamamoto nodded his head with narrowed eyes.

"See to it that she is the first for a full exam," he stated, Hitsugaya nodding sharply before instructing two of the Fourth division members to get her onto a stretcher and taken to the Fourth. Mentally, he was sighing and wondering when hell had frozen over.

And where he could get a very strong, very stiff drink. Or a lover. Whatever he could get at the moment.


	52. Whisper to Me 56

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 56

Characters: Ichigo, Taichos, Fukutaichos, Sebastian, Ciel, Ikkaku, Yumichikia

Word count: 1,496

Warnings: None really

AN: Next chapter is finished and ready to go so I'll see you next week here for the LAST chapter. :D Enjoy you guys.

* * *

Gazing over the gathered people, lounging on the stairs that lead up to where his grandfather sat, Ichigo sighed as William pulled him back to rest against his chest, nuzzling into his hair with a smirk on his face. "So these are those who have stayed true," he breathed, the younger male nodding his head with a smirk.

"Yep. They shall play a big part in the coming war," Ichigo hummed, William moving to nuzzle one ear.

"Is that some power that I don't know about?" the dark haired Grim Reaper drawled, smirking as his lover shivered at the breath that floated over his ear.

"No, just good old fashioned instinct," Ichigo chuckled, turning so that he could nuzzle his lover's neck, humming softly in pleasure. "I have a feeling that things will happen just the way that they're meant to," he drawled, reaching up and smoothing a hand through soft, short hair, mussing it slightly. "It's going to be interesting, that's for sure."

Grell snickered as he flopped down next to Ichigo and William, red jacket flung out behind him as he leant back against the stair just behind him. "Oh, it shall be," he purred, crossing his legs as he smirked at his friends. "I've already heard so many things about us that it's rather ridiculous," he hummed, playing with a red lock before reaching over and pulling Ichigo away from William. "Let me do your hair again. The damn bun is giving out again. Such substandard shit," he grumped, settling Ichigo before him.

Ichigo rolled his eyes and allowed Grell to pull the hair sticks free from his bun and loosen his hair to fall down his back. William mimicked his lover, and rolled his eyes too, shaking his head with an amused look at his friend. "Fine, steal my lover away to play with his hair," he grumbled, getting a smug smirk from the other male as he somehow materialized a brush from the depths of his ever present jacket.

"I will," Grell purred, pulling the comb through his friends hair as Ciel and Sebastian finally arrived along with the sou-taicho, the elder man taking his seat as Sebastian walked over to the two friends.

"I believe that these will help much better then the cheap ones that Ichigo bought earlier," Sebastian drawled as he pulled out a slim black box, handing it over to Grell. The two looked into the box when Grell pulled the top free of the bottom and exposed the fabric covered padding where two slim hair sticks sat.

Ichigo hummed in pleasured delight at the sight before him. Somehow, even during all of the after battle debriefings and trying to keep where they stayed a full secret still, Sebastian had found time to carve out a delicate replica of Ichigo's Zangetsu in his sealed form and one of William's garden shears that looked to be trapped in glass. "Wow," he hummed, smiling softly as Grell chuckled softly and put the box down onto the ground next to him.

"Indeed," Grell hummed, Ichigo smiling up at Sebastian, nearly beaming with how happy he was with the gift. "So, are we going to start this meeting or what? I would like to get out of here so we can finish packing and get back to the living world."

"I believe that we can begin now," Yamamoto rumbled as Sado, Ishida, and Orihime arrived alongside Gin, who was looking rather amused by everything going on. "First of all, I welcome the Ryoka that came here to help us, even though we did not know that we needed the help."

"You're welcome," Ciel drawled as he smoothed down the lapel of his jacket, once more wearing his eye patch over the eye that had his Faustian mark.

Yamamoto smirked, hiding the look in his beard as several of the attending people did the same, Soi-Fon, and Byakuya being the only two to glare at him for the remark. "And I welcome the grandchild that I had thought lost to me when my child stopped communicating. I am sure that we all remember the tale that he told us of his history?" he asked, sweeping his eyes over the standing people before him. His father at one time had been Isshin Shiba, head of the Shiba clan when we unfortunately lost Kaien Shiba-fukutaicho. But Isshin was also my son from the Shiba siblings mother, who had been the head of the family at the time and unmarried to the other's father. He was my only child, and to know that I was unable to ever meet and get to know my other two grandchildren hurts. So I am glad that I am able to get to know my only living blood family."

"It's nice to know that I have family left too," Ichigo hummed, smiling as Grell continued to brush and twist his hair into a bun behind him. "Outside of my cousin's that is," he stated, feeling his friend pull his twisted hair into the final bun and stick his hair sticks into the locks.

"There, all done," Grell chirped, William rolling his eyes and once more stealing his lover back, wrapping his arms around a slim waist as he rested his chin on his shoulder.

"Cousins?" Soi-Fon asked, voicing what everyone was thinking, outside of a select few who knew the answer to that question.

"Me and my father," Ishida drawled, crossing his arms as he leant against his bigger lover, blue eyes staring at everyone, daring them to say a damn thing about it. "My father and his mother were second cousins I believe. Making us third cousins," he continued.

"Cousins? Really now? Aren't you a Quincy? Does that mean, Kurosaki-san, that your mother was one too?" Hitsugaya asked, gazing at the young male who was happily leaning into his lover.

"Yes, it meant that she too was a Quincy. It means that I'm also a Quincy along side my Shinigami abilities. Just consider me a very strong medium," he drawled.

"How strong are we talking about?" Hitsugaya asked, wanting to get as much information as he could about the young man before them.

"When I die my natural death, I'll be able to join the Gotei 13 with ease," Ichigo hummed, smiling softly and shrugging with a chuckle. "Strong enough to give two very strong, full grown demons a run for their money even if I'm still training. Or upper level Quincy," he continued, shrugging. "I think Ryuken is the only other Quincy that is stronger than me but then again, he's had years of training. Much more then me."

"He has great potential in his future," Yamamoto stated, nodding his head with a smile. "For now, his zanpactou is being reforged using a proper base so that he may access greater amounts of his power without fear of his power shattering his blade."

"He's getting a reforged zanpactou?" Soi-Fon asked, sounding incredulous at that fact. She knew for a fact that only those who had their bankai and enough power to manifest their zanpactou spirit could have their weapon reforged if something happened to it. To know that a child of a mere eighteen years had such power just amazed her.

"Yes he is. He knew he would have to have it reforged with a proper base when he came here so we have been working on getting a hold of the right person to be able to reforge his weapon. We have done so. We have also discussed his exploring of all aspects of his powers, including those of his Quincy side," Yamamoto stated, tone daring anyone to argue with him.

"We believe that with Ichigo's interesting family mixture of Shinigami and Quincy, he should be able to mix them together to create something new. If he is able to, we maybe able to help those Quincy's still alive to purify a hollow instead of just destroying it and sending the soul to the life stream," William stated, sitting up straighter. "It would help seeing as all Spirit Worlds are feeling the strain of having so many places to cover and so many souls flowing back and forth," he continued.

"We're going to be training me in all aspects," Ichigo drawled, smirking at the spark of interest from the three that he knew came from the Eleventh Division. Which he didn't find all that surprising considering he had spent the last two weeks watching them in preparation for everything. "And we need to train all of you in what is to come too," he purred, his smile taking on a sadistic edge that sent chills of warning through them as Rukia just sighed from where she was standing, shaking her head in some amusement.

She couldn't wait for things to really kick into high gear.


	53. Whisper to Me 1 Pt 57

Title: Whisper to Me

Fandom: Bleach/Kuroshitsuji

Part: 57

Characters: Ichigo, Grell, William, Sebastian, Ciel,

Word count:

Warnings: Talking and planning

AN: Final chapter.

Okay, this is where I'm telling you what I'm going to be doing here. I have a 26 chapter story called "Jim Kirk: Legally Blond!". Might change that but we'll see when I post it okay?

And I'm working on another long Naruto story called "Our Truths". At the posting of this chapter I'm at around 38 chapters written and 26 chapters rewritten. I'll be posting it after Jim Kirk okay?

I am working on the next arc of this story but there are a couple of other stories that are pretty far into the writing that I want to finish off to post. So it'll be a bit yet before I actually post the second story. I'm also rewriting "A Shifting of Life" and "Finding a Bit of Trust" in getting ready for what is going to happen next.

So for now, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and keep reviewing! They make my life happy.

Enjoy!

* * *

Sighing as he dropped down onto the couch with a groan, Ichigo slowly stretched his body out, feeling his soul resettle into it. William chuckled and took a seat next to his lover, pulling him close as Ciel and Sebastian took their own seat on the loveseat, Grell bouncing in with a tray in hands. "It feels really good to be home again," he sighed, the other males chuckling softly.

"Are your friends settled?" Grell asked as he put the tray down onto the coffee table and poured the tea, Ichigo nodding his head.

"Yeah. Tatsuki, Mizuro, and Keigo all popped up to say hello and make sure that they are well taken care of. Though Tatsuki did try to hit me for daring to get Orihime in trouble, but did finally break down and hugged her tightly. I have a feeling that threesome will turn into a foursome. That is if Ryuken doesn't get off his ass and fix the sexual tension between them finally," Ichigo snorted, getting a curious look from his guardians and lover. Grell just smirked smugly and handed over the tea cups.

"I have a feeling that he will," Grell drawled, catching the looks on the three men. "What? Didn't you know that most Quincy's are open to any kind of relationship, including incestuous ones," he stated, cocking an eyebrow. "And those two don't have any kind of father and son relationship, so it's not that surprising that they have such tension between them."

"It's amusing is what it is," Ichigo snorted, getting a smile from his companions, Ciel chuckling softly and shaking his head.

"The things that you never truly see," the younger demon drawled as he tasted his tea before he added some more sugar, stirring it into his tea with a short spoon. "How did you figure it out yourself?" he asked Ichigo, the young male shrugging one shoulder.

"You learn a thing or two after a while. Especially the undertones of a relationship," Ichigo replied, smiling and shrugging one shoulder. "That includes watching things go on between my oh so lovely cousins."

"Indeed," Sebastian drawled, gazing at his charge with pride filled eyes. "You have grown quite a bit in these years, haven't you?" he breathed.

"Yeah," Ichigo hummed, blushing in pleasure at the looks that he was getting from the four and shifted in his seat. "Where's Undertaker?" he asked. When they had gotten back to the Living World, the supposedly insane Grim Reaper had been with Urahara, talking about people and who was in the Living World that they could get a hold of to help fight the war. Someone named the Vizards or something like that. But they had clammed up when they had walked into the room, both men smiling brightly and setting everyone on edge because of it.

"I believe that he is setting up a new practice to help pay for everything. Sebastian is also working on finding a proper office space for our own businesses," Ciel stated, sitting back in his seat and crossing his legs with a thoughtful look on his face. "I have a few people watching over the European side of things. Most notably, young Miss. Liz's parents are doing so for me since I know they'll do what I need them to do. I'll be working hands on with the businesses here in Japan for the next year or so while you get back to your roots and to finish this once and for all."

"I want to watch that bastard be torn apart slowly. He ordered the death's of what little family I had left and that deserves to be punished. Hard," Ichigo hummed, eyes glowing with his power. Sebastian and Ciel felt delight at the look before exchanging slightly worried glances. It was Grell's delighted laughter and William's chuckle that soothed their worries.

They had to remember that everyone attached to Death in someway was a little off and that it showed in various ways. In Ichigo, for the time being, it showed in his need to utter destroy Aizen down to the molecular level and his need to do what he loved best while he was still alive.

"We'll make sure that it happens, love," Grell purred, his own florescent colored eyes dancing with his anticipation. William smirked and buried his nose into his lover's soft hair, making his fellow Grim Reaper roll his eyes. "You are obsessed with his hair, I swear. And his scent."

"I can't help it. He smells like french vanilla and spun sugar," William snorted, glaring at his friend as he smoothed a hand down over his lover's ribs, getting a chuckle from him.

"The french vanilla is his natural scent. He had it even when we first got him, before he even started his training in his powers," Sebastian stated, reaching out to smooth a hand over his lover's head, getting a small smirk from his partner. "The spun sugar scent is the scent of his power. Each Shinigami has it. It's a way for those with a sense of smell to find them or make sure that the feeling of power was correct," he continued.

Ciel smirked softly and brushed a bit of hair out of his face. "We spoke to the one who hid under a mask, the half fox spirit, Sajin Komamura," he said, chuckling at the understanding look from the others. "He was very informational when we started to speak with him. A good thing really."

Ichigo hummed and nodded his head. "Yeah. When you talk with the right person, they can be a fount of information on things. Especially when you don't want to play dance around with Urahara," he snorted, drawing laughter from his companions. "So, now we train and learn how to fight."

"Yep. And you get to learn how to wield dual blades in your new shikai form," Grell drawled, leaning back in his seat, smirking softly at his now groaning friend. "And your flowers have been delivered. They're ready to be planted in your window planters when you have a moment by the way."

"Was that who knocked on the door at five this morning?" William asked, the bloody red haired male nodding his head with a smirk. "Yeah, lovely. The bastard interrupted..."

"You continue to say what you're going to say and you can expect what I was doing this morning to stop for the foreseeable future," Ichigo purred, William quickly closing his mouth with a click of teeth. "That's what I thought," he said, sipping at his tea placidly, eyes dancing as the two demons snorted and shook their heads, Grell just smirking.

"So we talk with Urahara and set up times to start your training with the Shinigami who is supposed to be the liaison between us and the Seireitei," Grell said, changing the subject as he brushed his long locks back over his shoulders. "They should be able to help you with your blades. Who would have thought that you would have ended up with two in your shikai forms," he snorted, shaking his head.

"It's because of my dual nature in my powers and bloodlines," Ichigo drawled. "Or at least that's what grandfather told me. Anyways, I'll have the time to learn how to actually call up my Quincy side too. I called Ryuken this afternoon and set up times to learn how to do so," he continued, shrugging one shoulder. "The others are going to train their powers too, get things ready for everything," he stated.

"Well, this is going to be very interesting," Ciel snorted and finished his tea, putting the cups down. "It looks as if I'm going to have to hunt down my special guns, Sebastian. We can't let our dear charge get too far ahead of us and make us seem old."

"Of course, it would never be a good thing," Sebastian drawled, both of the demons basking in the warm laughter of Ichigo. Everyone knew that the future was going to be turbulent with the war that was brewing around them, but there was still laughter and happiness that they could find. It was nice.


End file.
